Retracting and releasing mechanism for releasing, recovering and locking underwater buoy body

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of buoy body releasing and recycling, and discloses a retracting and releasing mechanism for releasing, recycling and locking an underwater buoy body. The retracting and releasing mechanism comprises an upper part and a lower part, and the communication buoy body is a suspension part located on the upper portion, has positive buoyancy and floats upwards without power in the releasing process. The packaging structure is a recycling part located on the lower portion and used for dragging and recycling the communication buoy body. The outer layer of the packaging structure is a packaging shell, and an inner cavity is provided with a separation plate which divides the inner cavity into an upper cavity and a lower cavity. The lower chamber accommodates the cable winding and unwinding module and is used for winding and unwinding the communication buoy body; the upper chamber accommodates a buoy body recovery locking module which is used for capturing and locking the recovered communication buoy body; the cable take-up and pay-off module and the buoy body take-up and locking module are cooperatively controlled through the mechanism control module. The retracting and releasing mechanism is simple and compact in structure, low in process complexity and convenient to install, reliability and safety in the releasing and retracting process of the communication buoy body are improved, and the retracting and releasing mechanism has engineering practical value.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of buoy release and recovery technology, specifically relating to a release and recovery mechanism for underwater buoys. Background Technology

[0002] Cross-medium aircraft possess both aerial flight and underwater stealth and submersible capabilities, making them suitable for a wide range of applications. However, underwater communication for cross-medium aircraft faces complex environmental challenges. Currently, underwater communication methods are mainly divided into wired and wireless methods. Wireless communication methods primarily include underwater acoustic communication, laser communication, and magnetic induction communication. These wireless communication methods are significantly affected by underwater environmental factors, with severe signal attenuation in water. Furthermore, wireless communication devices are costly and heavy, failing to meet the stable and lightweight communication requirements of cross-medium aircraft. Therefore, equipping cross-medium aircraft with lightweight underwater towed communication buoys is a crucial means to solve cross-domain communication issues. For cross-medium aircraft using lightweight underwater towed communication buoys, the release and recovery mechanism is key to ensuring the correct release and recovery of the buoy. It is an important guarantee for establishing communication between the cross-medium aircraft and the ground command center, enabling the reuse of the buoy and improving the deployment flexibility of cross-medium aircraft.

[0003] Existing airborne buoy release and retrieval mechanisms mainly include passive and active mechanisms. Passive release and retrieval mechanisms primarily utilize the elastic potential energy of spiral springs, elastic ropes, etc., for buoy release and retrieval. This method is slow, cannot cope with strong water currents, is prone to jamming during retrieval leading to incomplete recovery, and is difficult to detect faults. Active release and retrieval mechanisms mainly use forward and reverse rotation of a drum to wind the communication cable around it, achieving buoy release and retrieval. However, existing airborne buoy release and retrieval mechanisms lack precise release and retrieval determination, potentially leading to risks such as over-release during release causing the buoy to be retrieved in the opposite direction, or over-reeling during retrieval causing damage to the communication cable. Furthermore, locking the buoy by tightening the cable during retrieval may shorten cable life or cause the cable to detach from the buoy.

[0004] Currently, there is an urgent need to develop a release and recovery mechanism for underwater buoys. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to provide a release, retrieval and locking mechanism for underwater buoys, so as to overcome the defects of the prior art.

[0006] The present invention relates to a buoy deployment, retrieval, and locking mechanism for underwater buoys. During the buoy deployment and retrieval process, sensors accurately determine the status of each key position of the buoy and trigger the next action based on its position status, achieving fully autonomous control and solving the problem of buoy position determination and control during long-distance use. Simultaneously, a locking mechanism is designed after the buoy is retrieved into position, mechanically locking the buoy and ensuring reliable locking of the buoy on the retrieval base during flight of a cross-medium aircraft.

[0007] The present invention provides a release, retrieval, and locking mechanism for an underwater buoy, comprising upper and lower parts. The communication buoy is the upper suspension part, which has positive buoyancy and floats upward without power during release. The encapsulation structure is the lower retrieval part, used for towing and retrieving the communication buoy. The outer layer of the encapsulation structure is the encapsulation shell, and the inner cavity is equipped with an isolation plate, which divides the inner cavity into upper and lower chambers. The lower chamber houses the cable deployment and take-up module, which is used to deploy and take up the communication buoy. The upper chamber houses the buoy retrieval and locking module, which is used to capture and lock the retrieved communication buoy. The cable deployment and take-up module and the buoy retrieval and locking module are controlled collaboratively by the mechanism control module. The outer layer of the communication buoy body is also a packaged shell, which includes an upper shell and a lower shell sealed by a shell sealing ring, and a communication module is provided in the inner cavity of the packaged shell; The upper shell is an inverted bowl-shaped shell; a top cover is provided on the top of the upper shell, and the upper shell and the top cover are sealed by a top cover sealing ring; the top cover has a central opening, and a liquid level sensor is installed in the opening; the liquid level sensor is used to determine the medium in which the communication buoy is located, thereby determining whether the communication buoy has floated to the surface; The lower housing is an annular shell; a lower cover is located at the center of the lower housing, and the lower housing and the lower cover are sealed by a lower cover sealing ring. The lower cover has a central opening through which the communication module's cable passes and is electrically connected to the mechanism control module in the cable retraction module; the inner ring of the lower housing has an annular pressing groove, which helps the buoy body recovery and locking module lock the communication buoy body; the outer ring of the lower housing has a buoy body sensing magnetic ring; the buoy body sensing magnetic ring is used to trigger the buoy body recovery and locking module to lock after the communication buoy body is recovered to the correct position.

[0008] Furthermore, the mounting cover of the cable take-up module is fixed on the bottom surface of the encapsulation structure, and a cylindrical rotating shaft mounting seat is fixed on the upper surface of the mounting cover; an inner toothed ring and a drum are sequentially fitted on the outside of the rotating shaft mounting seat from the inside to the outside. The lower end of the shaft is inserted into the shaft mounting base, and several bearings are embedded in the inner cavity of the shaft mounting base from top to bottom; the upper end of the shaft is fixed with a rotating cover by screws, and the outer ring of the rotating cover is fixedly connected to the inner toothed ring and the drum from the inside to the outside; the upper surface of the rotating cover is fixed with a winding arm, and the upper surface of the winding arm is fixed with a lead wire seat near the shaft; the cable passes through the lead wire seat and the winding arm in sequence and is wound on the drum. The cavity of the drum is fixed with a control module for the mechanism; the cavity of the drum also has a drive disk, a drive gear and a servo motor fixed inside. The output shaft of the servo motor is connected to the drive disk, and the drive gear is fixed to the drive disk by screws. The drive gear meshes with the internal gear ring. The mechanism control module drives the servo motor to rotate in both directions. The output shaft of the servo motor drives the drive gear to rotate in both directions. The drive gear drives the internal gear ring to rotate in both directions. The internal gear ring drives the drum to rotate in both directions synchronously through the rotating shaft and the rotating cover, thereby realizing the winding and unwinding of the cable.

[0009] Furthermore, the annular support frame of the buoy body recovery and locking module is fixed on the top surface of the encapsulation structure, and several evenly distributed rotating guide rollers are arranged along the circumference of the support frame; a micro motor is fixed on one side of the support frame, and the output shaft of the micro motor is connected to a worm gear; a toothed turntable is fixed on the support frame through the rotating guide rollers; a gear matching the worm gear is arranged on one side of the toothed turntable, and the gear meshes with the worm gear. Several evenly distributed claws are also provided along the circumference of the support frame and the toothed turntable; each claw has a round hole and an oblong hole; the claw is hinged to the pin fixed on the support frame through the round hole, and slidably connected to the pin fixed on the toothed turntable through the oblong hole. A claw position sensor and a buoy sensor are respectively installed on the outer sides of the upper and lower sides of the support frame; the claw position sensor is used to sense whether the claw is in the released state; the buoy sensor is used to sense the sensing magnetic ring on the communication buoy body; the signal output terminals of the claw position sensor and the buoy sensor are connected to the signal input terminal of the mechanism control module. The mechanism control module controls the micro motor to drive the worm gear to rotate, which in turn drives the toothed turntable to rotate, causing the pawl to rotate around its own circular hole. This allows the pawl to engage with the communication buoy and disengage as the toothed turntable rotates in the forward direction. When the pawl position sensor detects that the pawl is locked, the mechanism control module locks the micro motor after the buoy sensor determines that the communication buoy has been retrieved and is in a stable position.

[0010] Furthermore, the mechanism control module is an MCU controller.

[0011] The deployment, retrieval, and locking mechanism for underwater buoys of the present invention has the following characteristics: a. By installing a buoy sensing magnetic ring on the lower shell of the communication buoy, the release and retrieval positions of the communication buoy can be accurately determined, and the next action can be triggered based on the position status, thereby improving the safety and reliability of the deployment and retrieval mechanism; b. Design a buoy body recovery and locking module, which drives the evenly distributed pawls to rotate through the forward and reverse rotation of the worm gear, changing the engagement relationship between the pawls and the lower edge of the annular clamping groove, thereby realizing the locking and releasing of the communication buoy body.

[0012] The release, retrieval, and locking mechanism for underwater buoys of this invention can promptly sense the status of the communication buoy and respond proactively. It can autonomously determine the release and retrieval status of the communication buoy to prevent damage during release and retrieval. Simultaneously, after the communication buoy is retrieved into position, the locking device is automatically triggered to lock it in place. This mechanical clamping method secures the buoy, solving the problem of cable tension affecting its lifespan.

[0013] The release, retrieval, and locking mechanism for underwater buoys of the present invention is assembled using mature market products. It has a simple and compact structure, low process complexity, and is easy to install. It improves the reliability and safety of the release and retrieval process of communication buoys and has practical engineering value. Attached Figure Description

[0014] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the underwater buoy release, retrieval, and locking mechanism of the present invention; Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the cable deployment and retrieval module in the deployment and retrieval mechanism for underwater buoy release, recovery and locking of the present invention; Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the communication buoy structure in the deployment, retrieval, and locking mechanism for underwater buoys according to the present invention. Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the buoy recovery and locking module in the underwater buoy release, recovery and locking mechanism of the present invention.

[0015] In the diagram: 1. Cable retraction module; 2. Communication buoy body; 3. Buoy body retrieval and locking module; 4. Packaging structure; 101. Drum; 102. Winding arm; 103. Lead wire holder; 104. Bearing; 105. Shaft; 106. Drive disc; 107. Drive gear; 108. Internal gear ring; 109. Rotary cover; 110. Servo motor; 111. Shaft mounting base; 112. MCU controller; 113. Mounting cover; 201. Upper housing; 202. Upper cover; 203. Liquid level sensor; 204. Upper cover sealing ring; 205. Communication module; 206. Housing sealing ring; 207. Lower housing; 208. Lower cover; 209. Cable; 210. Lower cover sealing ring; 211. Buoy body sensing magnetic ring; 301. Toothed turntable; 302. Worm gear; 303. Micro motor; 304. Support frame; 305. Rotary guide roller; 306. Claw position sensor; 307. Buoy sensor; 308. Claw. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0017] Example: Figure 1 As shown, the release, retrieval, and locking mechanism for underwater buoys in this embodiment includes upper and lower parts. The communication buoy 2 is the upper suspension part, which has positive buoyancy and floats upward without power during release. The encapsulation structure 4 is the lower retrieval part, which is used to tow and retrieve the communication buoy 2. The outer layer of the encapsulation structure 4 is an encapsulation shell, and the inner cavity is provided with an isolation plate, which divides the inner cavity into upper and lower chambers. The lower chamber houses the cable winding and unwinding module 1, which is used to wind and unwind the communication buoy body 2. The upper chamber houses the buoy body recovery and locking module 3, which is used to capture and lock the recovered communication buoy body 2. The cable winding and unwinding module 1 and the buoy body recovery and locking module 3 are controlled collaboratively by the mechanism control module.

[0018] Furthermore, such as Figure 3 As shown, the outer layer of the communication buoy body 2 is also a packaged shell. The packaged shell includes an upper shell 201 and a lower shell 207 sealed by a shell sealing ring 206. The inner cavity of the packaged shell is provided with a communication module 205. The upper housing 201 is an inverted bowl-shaped housing; the top of the upper housing 201 is provided with a top cover 202, and the upper housing 201 and the top cover 202 are sealed by a top cover sealing ring 204; the top cover 202 has a central opening, and a liquid level sensor 203 is installed in the opening; the liquid level sensor 203 is used to determine the medium in which the communication buoy 2 is located, thereby determining whether the communication buoy 2 has floated to the surface; The lower housing 207 is an annular housing; a lower cover 208 is provided at the center of the lower housing 207, and the lower housing 207 and the lower cover 208 are sealed by a lower cover sealing ring 210. The lower cover 208 has a central opening, through which the cable 209 of the communication module 205 passes and is electrically connected to the mechanism control module in the cable retraction module 1; an annular pressing groove is provided on the inner ring of the lower housing 207, which helps the buoy body recovery locking module 3 to lock the communication buoy body 2; a buoy body sensing magnetic ring 211 is provided on the outer ring of the lower housing 207; the buoy body sensing magnetic ring 211 is used to trigger the buoy body recovery locking module 3 to lock after the communication buoy body 2 is recovered to the correct position.

[0019] Furthermore, such as Figure 2 As shown, the mounting cover 113 of the cable winding module 1 is fixed on the bottom surface of the encapsulation structure 4, and a cylindrical rotating shaft mounting seat 111 is fixed on the upper surface of the mounting cover 113; the inner toothed ring 108 and the drum 101 are sequentially fitted on the outside of the rotating shaft mounting seat 111 from the inside to the outside. The lower end of the rotating shaft 105 is inserted into the rotating shaft mounting base 111. Several bearings 104 are embedded in the inner cavity of the rotating shaft mounting base 111 from top to bottom. The upper end of the rotating shaft 105 is fixed with a rotating cover 109 by screws. The outer ring of the rotating cover 109 is fixedly connected to the inner toothed ring 108 and the drum 101 from the inside to the outside. The upper surface of the rotating cover 109 is fixed with a winding arm 102. The upper surface of the winding arm 102 is fixed with a lead wire seat 103 near the rotating shaft 105. The cable 209 passes through the lead wire seat 103 and the winding arm 102 and is wound onto the drum 101. The cavity of the drum 101 is fixed with a control module for the mechanism; the cavity of the drum 101 is also fixed with a drive disk 106, a drive gear 107 and a servo motor 110, the output shaft of the servo motor 110 is connected to the drive disk 106, the drive gear 107 is fixed to the drive disk 106 by screws, and the drive gear 107 meshes with the internal gear ring 108. The mechanism control module drives the servo motor 110 to rotate in both directions. The output shaft of the servo motor 110 drives the drive gear 107 to rotate in both directions. The drive gear 107 drives the internal gear ring 108 to rotate in both directions. The internal gear ring 108 drives the drum 101 to rotate in both directions synchronously through the rotating shaft 105 and the rotating cover 109, so as to realize the winding and unwinding of the cable 209.

[0020] Furthermore, such as Figure 4 As shown, the annular support frame 304 of the buoy body recovery and locking module 3 is fixed on the top surface of the encapsulation structure 4, and several evenly distributed rotating guide rollers 305 are arranged along the circumference of the support frame 304; a micro motor 303 is fixed on one side of the support frame 304, and the output shaft of the micro motor 303 is connected to the worm gear 302; a toothed turntable 301 is fixed on the support frame 304 through the rotating guide rollers 305; a gear matching the worm gear 302 is provided on one side of the toothed turntable 301, and the gear meshes with the worm gear 302; Several evenly distributed claws 308 are also provided along the circumference of the support frame 304 and the toothed turntable 301; each claw 308 has a round hole and an oblong hole; the claw 308 is hinged to the pin fixed on the support frame 304 through the round hole, and slidably connected to the pin fixed on the toothed turntable 301 through the oblong hole. A claw position sensor 306 and a buoy sensor 307 are respectively installed on the outer sides of the upper and lower sides of the support frame 304; the claw position sensor 306 is used to sense whether the claw 308 is in the released state; the buoy sensor 307 is used to sense the sensing magnetic ring 211 on the communication buoy body 2; the signal output terminals of the claw position sensor 306 and the buoy sensor 307 are connected to the signal input terminal of the mechanism control module. The mechanism control module controls the micro motor 303 to drive the worm gear 302 to rotate. The worm gear 302 drives the toothed turntable 301 to rotate, causing the pawl 308 to rotate around its own circular hole. This allows the pawl 308 to engage with the toothed turntable 301 in the forward direction and disengage in the reverse direction, thus enabling the pawl 308 to engage and lock the communication buoy 2 and disengage and release the communication buoy 2. When the pawl position sensor 306 detects that the pawl 308 is in the locked state, the buoy sensor 307 determines that the communication buoy 2 has been retrieved into place and its position is stable. Then, the mechanism control module locks the micro motor 303.

[0021] Furthermore, the mechanism control module is an MCU controller 112.

[0022] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been disclosed above, they are not limited to the applications listed in the specification and embodiments. For those skilled in the art, all features disclosed in the present invention, or all steps in all methods or processes disclosed, except for mutually exclusive features and / or steps, can be combined in any way without departing from the principles of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to the specific details and illustrations shown and described herein.

Claims

1. A launch and recovery mechanism for underwater buoy body release and capture, characterized by, The releasing and winding mechanism comprises an upper part and a lower part, the communication buoy body (2) is a suspended part in the upper part and has positive buoyancy, and is powerlessly floated during the releasing process; the packaging structure (4) is a recovery part in the lower part and is used for dragging and recovering the communication buoy body (2); The outer layer of the packaging structure (4) is a packaging shell, and an isolation plate is arranged in the inner cavity to divide the inner cavity into an upper chamber and a lower chamber; the lower chamber accommodates the cable winding and releasing module (1) and is used for winding and releasing the communication buoy body (2); the upper chamber accommodates the buoy body recovery locking module (3) and is used for capturing and locking the recovered communication buoy body (2); the cable winding and releasing module (1) and the buoy body recovery locking module (3) are cooperatively controlled by the mechanism control module.

2. A launch and recovery mechanism for underwater buoy body release and capture according to claim 1, characterized in that, The outer layer of the communication buoy body (2) is also a packaging shell, and the packaging shell comprises an upper shell (201) and a lower shell (207) which are sealed by a shell sealing ring (206); and a communication module (205) is arranged in the inner cavity of the packaging shell; The upper shell (201) is a bowl-shaped shell with a reverse buckle; the top of the upper shell (201) is provided with an upper cover (202), and the upper shell (201) and the upper cover (202) are sealed by an upper cover sealing ring (204); the center of the upper cover (202) is provided with a hole, and a liquid level sensor (203) is arranged in the hole; the liquid level sensor (203) is used for judging the medium in which the communication buoy body (2) is located, so as to determine whether the communication buoy body (2) has floated out of the water surface; The lower shell (207) is an annular shell; the center of the lower shell (207) is provided with a lower cover (208), and the lower shell (207) and the lower cover (208) are sealed by a lower cover sealing ring (210); the center of the lower cover (208) is provided with a hole, and a cable (209) of the communication module (205) is arranged in the hole and connected with the mechanism control module in the cable winding and releasing module (1) in an electrical manner; an annular pressing groove is arranged in the inner circle of the lower shell (207), which is helpful for the buoy body recovery locking module (3) to lock the communication buoy body (2); a buoy body induction magnetic ring (211) is arranged on the outer circle of the lower shell (207); the buoy body induction magnetic ring (211) is used for triggering the buoy body recovery locking module (3) to be locked after the communication buoy body (2) is recovered to the position.

3. A launch and recovery mechanism for underwater buoy body release and capture according to claim 2, wherein, The mounting cover (113) of the cable winding and releasing module (1) is fixed on the bottom surface of the packaging structure (4), and a cylindrical rotating shaft mounting seat (111) is fixed on the upper surface of the mounting cover (113); an inner tooth ring (108) and a winding drum (101) are sequentially sleeved outside the rotating shaft mounting seat (111) from inside to outside; The lower end of the rotating shaft (105) is inserted into the rotating shaft mounting seat (111), and the inner cavity of the rotating shaft mounting seat (111) is sequentially embedded with a plurality of bearings (104) from top to bottom; the upper end of the rotating shaft (105) is fixed with the rotating cover (109) through a screw, and the outer ring of the rotating cover (109) is fixedly connected with the inner tooth ring (108) and the winding drum (101) from inside to outside; the upper surface of the rotating cover (109) is fixed with the winding arm (102), and the upper surface of the winding arm (102) is fixed with the lead seat (103) close to the position of the rotating shaft (105); the cable (209) is sequentially threaded through the lead seat (103) and the winding arm (102) and wound on the winding drum (101); The mechanism control module is fixed in the cavity of the winding drum (101); the cavity of the winding drum (101) is also fixed with the driving disc (106), the driving gear (107) and the steering wheel (110), the output shaft of the steering wheel (110) is connected with the driving disc (106), the driving gear (107) is fixed on the driving disc (106) through a screw, and the driving gear (107) is engaged with the inner tooth ring (108); The mechanism control module drives the steering wheel (110) to rotate in the forward and reverse directions, the output shaft of the steering wheel (110) drives the driving gear (107) to rotate in the forward and reverse directions, the driving gear (107) drives the inner tooth ring (108) to rotate in the forward and reverse directions, the inner tooth ring (108) synchronously drives the winding drum (101) to rotate in the forward and reverse directions through the rotating shaft (105) and the rotating cover (109), and the winding and unwinding of the cable (209) are realized.

4. A launch and recovery mechanism for underwater buoy body release and capture according to claim 3, wherein, The annular support frame (304) of the buoy body recovery locking module (3) is fixed on the top surface of the packaging structure (4), a plurality of uniformly distributed rotating guide rollers (305) are arranged along the circumference of the support frame (304); one side of the support frame (304) is fixed with a micro motor (303), and the output shaft of the micro motor (303) is connected with a worm gear (302); a toothed turntable (301) is fixed on the support frame (304) through the rotating guide rollers (305); one side of the toothed turntable (301) is provided with a gear matched with the worm gear (302), and the gear is engaged with the worm gear (302); A plurality of uniformly distributed clamping jaws (308) are also arranged along the circumferences of the support frame (304) and the toothed turntable (301); each clamping jaw (308) is provided with a round hole and a waist-shaped hole; the clamping jaw (308) is hinged with a pin shaft fixed on the support frame (304) through the round hole and is slidingly connected with a pin shaft fixed on the toothed turntable (301) through the waist-shaped hole; The outer sides of the upper and lower sides of the support frame (304) are respectively provided with a clamping jaw position sensing sensor (306) and a buoy sensing sensor (307); the clamping jaw position sensing sensor (306) is used for sensing whether the clamping jaw (308) is in a released state; the buoy sensing sensor (307) is used for sensing the sensing magnetic ring (211) on the communication buoy body (2); the signal output ends of the clamping jaw position sensing sensor (306) and the buoy sensing sensor (307) are connected with the signal input end of the mechanism control module; The mechanism control module controls the micro motor (303) to drive the worm gear (302) to rotate, the worm gear (302) drives the toothed turntable (301) to rotate, the pawl (308) generates the rotation movement around the own circular hole, thereby realizing the motion track that the pawl (308) is inwardly clamped with the forward rotation of the toothed turntable (301) and is outwardly released with the reverse rotation, and further realizing that the pawl (308) is clamped and locked and released and released communication buoy body (2); when the pawl position sensing sensor (306) senses that the pawl (308) is in the locked state, after the buoy sensing sensor (307) judges that the communication buoy body (2) is recycled to the position and is stable, the mechanism control module locks the micro motor (303).

5. A launch and recovery mechanism for underwater buoy body release and capture according to claim 4, wherein, The mechanism control module is an MCU controller (112).

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