Working condition switching method and system of amphibious vehicle

Abstract

The invention discloses a working condition switching method and system for an amphibious vehicle, and the method comprises the steps: beach landing: setting a distance point B and a distance point A in an area from the vehicle to a coastline, and judging whether to switch to a land and water working condition or not according to a water depth limit value when the vehicle reaches the distance point B; before the distance point A is reached, whether working conditions are switched or not is judged in real time according to the current working conditions, beach information and water depth information; forcibly switching to a land and water working condition after reaching the distance point A; judging whether to switch to an onshore working condition according to the distance between the headstock and the coastline and the front wheel pressure; an overwater unmanned system sensor is started after it is detected that the tail of the vehicle is launched; judging whether to switch to a land-water working condition according to the working depth of the water pump; whether the land-water working condition is switched to the water working condition or not is judged according to the wheel pressure data. According to the invention, by acquiring corresponding sensor information and setting land and water working condition switching determinants, accurate switching and transition of the water working condition, the land and water working condition and the land working condition are realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of amphibious vehicles. Specifically, this invention relates to a method and system for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing demand for amphibious vehicles in fields such as emergency rescue, military operations, and field exploration, there is a growing expectation that vehicles can quickly and stably switch between land and water operating conditions. The development of technologies such as lidar, image sensors, intelligent control, and power transmission has provided technical support for determining operating condition transitions. However, currently, in complex water-land transition environments, issues such as the accuracy and timeliness of operating condition transitions, multi-source information fusion processing, and adaptability to complex environments urgently need to be addressed. This has made the determination of amphibious vehicle operating condition transition methods an important research direction.

[0003] Current research on the switching method for amphibious vehicles between land and water conditions has problems such as power interruption or coupling loss when switching between the two systems of land drive and water propulsion. In the face of complex water-land transition processes, such as dark beaches and swamps with varying depths, the automatic switching system may make switching errors.

[0004] Publication No. CN116512829A, published on August 1, 2023, entitled "Control Method, System, Device and Storage Medium for Amphibious Vehicle," discloses a control method, system, device and storage medium for an amphibious vehicle. It uses a distance sensor and a liquid level sensor to determine the driving environment and adjust the suspension height. However, it does not solve the problems of power interruption during switching and inaccurate identification of amphibious conditions due to complex environments, leading to continuous misjudgments during switching. Therefore, this invention proposes a method and system for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention aims to overcome the shortcomings of the prior art and proposes a method and system for switching operating conditions of amphibious vehicles to achieve the following objectives: by acquiring relevant sensor information and setting the decision factors for switching between amphibious and land operating conditions, the precise switching and transition between water-based, amphibious-land, and land-based operating conditions can be realized.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: a method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle, wherein the operating conditions include water-based operating conditions, water-land operating conditions, and land-based operating conditions, and the method includes: During the beach landing phase, the vehicles are initially in a water-based operating condition: The system uses sensors to acquire real-time information on the distance between the vehicle's front and the coastline, the condition of the beach, and the water depth. Distance points B and A are set within the area between the vehicle and the coastline, where B is farther from the coastline than A. When the vehicle reaches distance point B, determine whether to switch from water-based operation to water-land operation based on the water depth limit. Before reaching distance point A, determine whether to switch working conditions based on the current working conditions, beach status information and water depth information, including switching from land-water working conditions back to water-water working conditions and switching from water-water working conditions to land-water working conditions. After reaching distance point A, regardless of the operating condition, the vehicle is forced to switch to amphibious operating condition. Then, based on the distance between the front of the vehicle and the coastline and the front wheel pressure data, it is determined whether to switch from amphibious operating condition to land operating condition. During the land-to-water phase, the vehicle is initially in a land-based operating condition: When the vehicle's rear end enters the water, record the distance C between the vehicle's front end and the coastline, and activate the sensors of the unmanned water system. Determine whether to switch to land-water operation mode based on real-time water depth and preset pump operating depth; In both amphibious and land-based operating conditions, the vehicle's wheel pressure data is used to determine whether to switch from amphibious to water-based operating conditions.

[0007] Preferably, when the vehicle reaches distance point B, if the water depth is greater than the preset water depth limit, the vehicle remains in water-based operation mode; if the water depth is less than or equal to the preset water depth limit, the vehicle switches from water-based operation mode to land-water operation mode.

[0008] Preferably, when the vehicle is in water condition before reaching distance point A, if the water depth is detected to be less than or equal to a preset water depth limit and this condition persists for a preset period of time, the vehicle will switch from water condition to land-water condition; otherwise, it will remain in water condition. Before reaching distance point A and while the vehicle is in amphibious operation mode, if unevenness is detected on the beach, the system will further determine whether to switch back to water operation mode by judging the time exceeding the water depth limit. If the water depth is detected to be greater than the preset water depth limit and continues for a preset period of time, the system will switch back to water operation mode; otherwise, the amphibious operation mode will remain unchanged.

[0009] Preferably, the method of determining whether to switch from amphibious driving conditions to land driving conditions by combining the distance between the front of the vehicle and the coastline and the front wheel pressure data includes: when the front of the vehicle is detected to have reached the coastline and the front wheel pressure sensor detects that the pressure has reached the preset upper limit, the method of switching from amphibious driving conditions to land driving conditions is used.

[0010] Preferably, determining whether to switch to amphibious operation based on real-time water depth and preset water pump operating depth includes: when the real-time water depth reaches the preset water pump operating depth and continues for a preset period of time, the vehicle switches from land operation to amphibious operation.

[0011] Preferably, in amphibious conditions, the determination of whether to switch from amphibious to water conditions is based on the wheel pressure data, including: when the wheel pressure sensor detects a pressure lower limit that is preset and remains so for a preset period of time, the switch is made from amphibious to water conditions.

[0012] This application also provides a working condition switching system for an amphibious vehicle, using the aforementioned working condition switching method for an amphibious vehicle. The system includes an unmanned water system sensor, an unmanned land system sensor, a controller, and an amphibious vehicle power system. The controller is connected to the unmanned water system sensor, the unmanned land system sensor, and the amphibious vehicle power system, respectively, and is used to drive the amphibious vehicle power system to switch working conditions based on the data collected by the unmanned water system sensor and the unmanned land system sensor.

[0013] Preferably, the sensors of the unmanned aquatic system include photoelectric cameras, sonar, and depth sounders.

[0014] Preferably, the sensors of the land-based unmanned system include a rear-end camera and wheel pressure sensors installed on each wheel.

[0015] Preferably, the controller is a vehicle control unit (VCU).

[0016] The technical effects of this invention are as follows: This invention sets out the determining factors for switching between water and land operating conditions to achieve automatic switching based on actual sensor data. Specifically, by setting different judgment methods for the different stages of travel during the beach landing and land-to-water processes, it ensures that a water-to-land operating condition always exists as a buffer zone during the switching process, solving the problem of power interruption or coupling loss. At the same time, by setting time range parameters during beach landing, it reduces the problem of vehicles misjudging operating conditions caused by uneven mudflats. Attached Figure Description

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working condition switching process of an amphibious vehicle provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The specific embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. This is to help those skilled in the art to have a more complete, accurate, and in-depth understanding of the inventive concept and technical solution of the present invention, and to facilitate its implementation. It should be noted that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in this application are only for the convenience of describing the technical solution and to distinguish components; the corresponding component configurations may be the same or different, and are not intended to limit the present application. Furthermore, the various preset values, limits, thresholds, etc., described in this application can be flexibly set according to actual conditions during specific implementation. To make the technical solution of the present invention clearer, the present invention will be explained and illustrated through the following embodiments.

[0019] This embodiment provides a method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle. It aims to achieve precise switching and transition between water-based, amphibious-land, and land-based operating conditions by acquiring relevant sensor information and setting decision factors for switching between these conditions. Water-based operating condition refers to the vehicle's operation entirely in water, where the power system uses water jet propulsion, propellers, or other water-based propulsion devices. Land-based operating condition refers to the vehicle's operation entirely on land, where the power system uses tire propulsion. Amphibious-land operating condition is a transitional condition between water-based and land-based operating conditions, where the power system alternates between tire propulsion and other water-based propulsion devices, or these devices coexist briefly.

[0020] Specifically, the method in this embodiment includes two phases: a beach landing phase (a water-land transition phase and a fully land-based phase) and a land-to-water phase (a land-water transition phase and a fully water-based phase). When the amphibious vehicle is about to conduct beach landing or water landing operations according to the designated route, in order to avoid power interruption during the switch and inaccurate water-land condition identification due to complex environments, resulting in continuous switching misjudgments, it is necessary to determine the timing of the complete switch by constraining relevant decisive factors for the two operating conditions separately, increasing the buffer zone, and adding time constraints in environmental switch identification to avoid frequent switching and environmental identification leading to operating condition misjudgments.

[0021] Specifically, during the beach landing phase, the vehicles are initially in a water-based operating condition: A beach landing is a process involving both water and land, primarily relying on information acquired by unmanned sensors on the waterborne system. These sensors obtain real-time information on the distance between the vehicle's nose and the coastline, the condition of the beach, and the water depth. Distance points B and A are set within the area between the vehicle and the coastline, with B being a greater distance from the coastline than A.

[0022] When the vehicle reaches distance point B, the system determines whether to switch from water-based operation to amphibious operation based on the water depth limit. Specifically, if the water depth at distance point B is greater than the preset water depth limit, it indicates that the water is too deep, and switching to amphibious operation would pose a safety risk; therefore, the vehicle remains in water-based operation. If the water depth is less than or equal to the preset water depth limit, the system switches from water-based operation to amphibious operation, preparing for the transition to land-based operation.

[0023] Before reaching distance point A (i.e., when the vehicle is between distance point A and distance point B), the system determines in real time whether to switch operating conditions based on the current operating conditions, beach conditions, and water depth information, including switching from land-water operating conditions back to water-based operating conditions and switching from water-based operating conditions to land-water operating conditions.

[0024] Specifically, when the vehicle is in water condition before reaching distance point A, if the water depth is detected to be less than or equal to the preset water depth limit for a preset period of time, the vehicle will switch from water condition to land condition. At this time, the environmental condition is stable and the vehicle can prepare to transition to land condition; otherwise, the vehicle will remain in water condition to ensure safety.

[0025] Before reaching distance point A and while the vehicle is in amphibious operation mode, if unevenness is detected on the beach, the system further determines whether to switch back to water operation mode based on the time exceeding the water depth limit. Specifically, if the water depth exceeds a preset limit for a predetermined period, it indicates the encounter with a deep shoal, and the system must switch back to water operation mode to ensure vehicle safety; otherwise, the amphibious operation mode remains unchanged. This embodiment avoids misjudgments during operation mode switching in complex environments such as shoals and swamps by determining when the water depth limit has been exceeded.

[0026] Upon reaching distance point A, regardless of the current operating condition, the vehicle is forcibly switched to amphibious operation mode, ready to transition to land operation mode at any time. Then, based on the distance between the vehicle's front and the coastline, and the front wheel pressure data, a decision is made whether to switch from amphibious to land operation mode. Specifically, when the vehicle's front reaches the coastline and the front wheel pressure sensor reading reaches the preset pressure limit, the vehicle switches from amphibious to land operation mode, completing the beach landing.

[0027] During the land-to-water phase, the vehicle is initially in a land-based operating condition: This stage is the process of going from land to water. The land-based unmanned system sensors serve as the main information source when the land-to-water transition begins. When the rear of the vehicle enters the water, the distance between the front of the vehicle and the coastline is recorded as distance point C, and the water-based unmanned system sensors are activated. The depth sounder sensor in the water-based unmanned system sensors measures the water depth.

[0028] Then, based on the real-time water depth and the preset water pump operating depth, it is determined whether to switch to amphibious operation mode. Specifically, when the real-time water depth reaches the preset water pump operating depth and remains there for a preset period of time, it indicates that the vehicle meets the basic operating requirements for entering the water, and the vehicle switches from land operation mode to amphibious operation mode, preparing to transition to water operation mode.

[0029] Finally, under both amphibious and land-based operating conditions, the system uses comprehensive wheel pressure data to determine whether to switch from amphibious to water-based operating conditions. Specifically, when the wheel pressure sensor detects a pressure lower limit that is set for a preset duration, the system switches from amphibious to water-based operating conditions, completing the land-to-water phase.

[0030] This embodiment sets different judgment methods for the two processes of beach landing and land-to-water operation, ensuring that there is always a water-land working condition as a buffer zone during the switching between water and land working conditions, thus solving the problem of power interruption or coupling loss. At the same time, by setting time range parameters in the beach landing, the problem of vehicles misjudging working conditions caused by uneven mud pits is reduced.

[0031] Correspondingly, this embodiment also provides an amphibious vehicle operating condition switching system. Using the above-mentioned amphibious vehicle operating condition switching method, the system includes an unmanned water system sensor, an unmanned land system sensor, a controller, and an amphibious vehicle power system. The controller is connected to the unmanned water system sensor, the unmanned land system sensor, and the amphibious vehicle power system respectively, and is used to drive the amphibious vehicle power system to switch operating conditions based on the data collected by the unmanned water system sensor and the unmanned land system sensor.

[0032] The sensors for the unmanned underwater system include an electro-optical camera, a sonar, and a depth sounder, all of which are connected to the controller. Specifically, the electro-optical camera detects the distance between the vehicle's front and the coastline; the sonar detects beach conditions; and the depth sounder detects real-time water depth.

[0033] The sensors for the land-based unmanned system include a rear-end camera and wheel pressure sensors mounted on each wheel, all of which are connected to the controller. The rear-end camera detects environmental information at the rear of the vehicle, including whether the rear of the vehicle is submerged in water. The wheel pressure sensors detect the pressure of each wheel.

[0034] Preferably, the controller is a vehicle control unit (VCU), which has the advantage of high data processing efficiency. Simultaneously, as the intelligent command center of the vehicle, the VCU, in addition to connecting with the waterborne and land-based unmanned system sensors configured in this embodiment, also establishes communication with other vehicle control systems, thereby obtaining more comprehensive vehicle information and facilitating subsequent method iterations and upgrades.

[0035] The present invention has been described above by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the specific implementation of the present invention is not limited to the above-described manner. Any non-substantial improvements made using the inventive concept and technical solution; or the direct application of the inventive concept and technical solution to other situations without modification, are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle, characterized in that: The operating conditions include water-based operating conditions, water-land operating conditions, and land-based operating conditions; the method includes: During the beach landing phase, the vehicles are initially in a water-based operating condition: The system uses sensors to acquire real-time information on the distance between the vehicle's front and the coastline, the condition of the beach, and the water depth. Distance points B and A are set within the area between the vehicle and the coastline, where B is farther from the coastline than A. When the vehicle reaches distance point B, determine whether to switch from water-based operation to water-land operation based on the water depth limit. Before reaching distance point A, determine whether to switch working conditions based on the current working conditions, beach status information and water depth information, including switching from land-water working conditions back to water-water working conditions and switching from water-water working conditions to land-water working conditions. After reaching distance point A, regardless of the operating condition, the vehicle is forced to switch to amphibious operating condition. Then, based on the distance between the front of the vehicle and the coastline and the front wheel pressure data, it is determined whether to switch from amphibious operating condition to land operating condition. During the land-to-water phase, the vehicle is initially in a land-based operating condition: When the vehicle's rear end enters the water, record the distance C between the vehicle's front end and the coastline, and activate the sensors of the unmanned water system. Determine whether to switch to land-water operation mode based on real-time water depth and preset pump operating depth; In both amphibious and land-based operating conditions, the vehicle's wheel pressure data is used to determine whether to switch from amphibious to water-based operating conditions.

2. The method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: When the vehicle reaches distance point B, if the water depth is greater than the preset water depth limit, the vehicle will remain in the water condition. If the water depth is less than or equal to the preset water depth limit, the operation will switch from surface operation to land-water operation.

3. The method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: Before reaching distance point A and while the vehicle is in water condition, if the water depth is detected to be less than or equal to the preset water depth limit for a preset period of time, the vehicle will switch from water condition to land-water condition; otherwise, it will remain in water condition. Before reaching distance point A and while the vehicle is in amphibious operation mode, if unevenness is detected on the beach, the system will further determine whether to switch back to water operation mode by judging the time exceeding the water depth limit. If the water depth is detected to be greater than the preset water depth limit and continues for a preset period of time, the system will switch back to water operation mode; otherwise, the amphibious operation mode will remain unchanged.

4. The method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The system combines the distance between the vehicle's front and the coastline with front wheel pressure data to determine whether to switch from amphibious to land operation. This includes switching from amphibious to land operation when the vehicle's front reaches the coastline and the front wheel pressure sensor readings reach the preset pressure limit.

5. The method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: Determining whether to switch to amphibious operation based on real-time water depth and preset water pump operating depth includes: when the real-time water depth reaches the preset water pump operating depth and remains there for a preset period of time, the vehicle switches from land operation to amphibious operation.

6. The method for switching operating conditions of an amphibious vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that: In both amphibious and land-based conditions, the system uses comprehensive wheel pressure data to determine whether to switch from amphibious to water-based conditions. This includes switching from amphibious to water-based conditions when the wheel pressure sensor detects a pressure lower limit that is maintained for a preset period of time.

7. A working condition switching system for an amphibious vehicle, using a working condition switching method for an amphibious vehicle according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that: The system includes a surface unmanned system sensor, a land unmanned system sensor, a controller, and an amphibious vehicle power system. The controller is connected to the surface unmanned system sensor, the land unmanned system sensor, and the amphibious vehicle power system, and is used to drive the amphibious vehicle power system to switch operating conditions based on the data collected by the surface unmanned system sensor and the land unmanned system sensor.

8. The amphibious vehicle operating condition switching system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sensors of the unmanned aquatic system include photoelectric cameras, sonar, and depth sounders.

9. The amphibious vehicle's operating condition switching system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The sensors for the land-based unmanned system include a rear-view camera and wheel pressure sensors mounted on each wheel.

10. The amphibious vehicle's operating condition switching system according to claim 7, characterized in that: The controller is a vehicle control unit (VCU).

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