Underwater base station active stabilizing and laying and docking hanger

Abstract

This invention relates to the field of deep-sea engineering equipment and underwater robot technology, specifically to a swing suppression and precise positioning mechanism for heavy-duty deep-sea equipment, and particularly to an active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device for underwater base stations. The main frame of this invention has a cross-shaped structure, connecting the mother ship's lifting cable and the deep-sea AUV base station, used to transfer gravity loads; the thruster assembly includes four thrusters, respectively installed at the four ends of the main frame, used to output multi-vector thrust; a sensing module is installed on the main frame, used to monitor the device's attitude, position, and environmental flow field information in real time; buoyancy components are covered or installed on the cantilever of the main frame; the control unit is located in a pressure-resistant sealed chamber on the main frame, communicating with the mother ship and obtaining power through an umbilical cable. The control unit drives the thruster assembly to move according to the data from the sensing module, realizing active steady-state control of the deep-sea AUV base station. The technical solution of this invention solves the problems of large swing amplitude in passive lifting, low efficiency of manual or ROV assistance, and poor accuracy in the prior art.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of deep-sea engineering equipment and underwater robot technology, specifically to a swing suppression and precise positioning mechanism for heavy-duty deep-sea equipment, and particularly to an active stabilization deployment and docking device for an underwater base station. Background Technology

[0002] With the advancement of the maritime power strategy, the demand for deep-sea exploration and resource development is increasing. As a core platform, the AUV's energy replenishment and data exchange rely on underwater docking stations (base stations). However, currently, the deployment of underwater docking stations mainly relies on mother ship hoisting. During the deployment to depths of 150-1000 meters or even deeper, traditional passive hoisting methods face many significant challenges:

[0003] In the development of deep-sea resources and the networking of underwater unmanned systems, the deployment of modular facilities such as AUV base stations, deep-sea charging piles, and precision sensor arrays is a crucial step in building new deep-sea infrastructure. These precision facilities typically integrate expensive wet-plug electrical connectors, optical lenses, and high-precision electronic compartments, placing extremely high technical demands on the orientation stability and docking accuracy during deployment. However, in actual underwater deployment operations, the flexible slings are often hundreds or even thousands of meters long, resulting in significant low-frequency pendulum motion caused by these long deep-sea cables. Under the influence of ocean currents and disturbances from the mother ship, the flexible cables are prone to large-amplitude horizontal drift and low-frequency reciprocating oscillations. Furthermore, due to insufficient system damping in the underwater environment, this oscillating energy is difficult to dissipate naturally. This leads to the orientation of the end-load being completely uncontrollable, making it difficult for the base station to accurately land on the predetermined seabed foundation or pile location. In the final stage of precision docking, violent shaking can cause frequent impacts between the load and the seabed foundation, easily leading to breakage of the base station docking mechanism or failure of precision electronic components due to instantaneous impact loads. Traditional operating methods often rely on heavy-duty ROVs for near-bottom push-pull assistance or pre-installed complex mechanical guide cables, which not only result in low operating efficiency but also make them prone to major safety accidents such as cable entanglement in deep water with high flow rates.

[0004] To address the problems of poor deep-sea deployment stability, difficulty in terminal positioning, and heavy reliance on sea state windows in the existing technologies, it is essential to research and design a new type of active stable deployment and docking rig for underwater base stations to overcome the existing problems. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To address the technical problems of passive hoisting, such as large swing amplitude, low efficiency of manual or ROV assistance, and poor accuracy, this invention provides an active stabilization deployment and docking device for underwater base stations. This invention primarily utilizes a multi-vector thruster and a multi-source sensing system integrated on the device, employing a parallel control architecture to achieve active damping injection and dynamic positioning, thereby suppressing long swing amplitudes and ensuring precise alignment.

[0006] The technical means employed in this invention are as follows: An active stabilization deployment and docking rig for an underwater base station includes: a main frame, a thruster assembly, a sensing module, a control unit, an umbilical cable, a deep-sea AUV base station, and a buoyancy component; Furthermore, the main frame is a cross-shaped stainless steel structure, serving as the main frame of the device and connecting the mother ship's hoisting cable to the deep-sea AUV base station to transfer gravity loads; the frame adopts a load separation design, with the main frame bearing all the hoisting tension to protect the precision electronic equipment from tension.

[0007] Furthermore, the thruster assembly includes four thrusters, which are symmetrically installed at the four ends of the main frame in an X / Y axis layout, for outputting multi-vector thrust. By independently controlling the rotational speed and direction of the four thrusters, horizontal thrust in any direction can be synthesized in real time to resist ocean currents and generate differential torque to control heading.

[0008] Furthermore, the sensing module is installed on the main frame and integrated in the center and bottom of the frame to monitor the attitude, position and environmental flow field information of the device in real time. Furthermore, buoyancy components are covered or installed on the cantilever of the main frame; Furthermore, the control unit is located in a pressure-resistant sealed chamber on the main frame. It communicates with the mother ship and obtains power through an umbilical cable. The control unit drives the thruster assembly to operate based on the data from the sensing module, thereby achieving active steady-state control of the deep-sea AUV base station.

[0009] Furthermore, the main frame adopts a load separation design, with the stainless steel main frame and reinforcing ribs bearing the hoisting tension, while the propeller assembly and electronic equipment do not bear the structural load; the frame is filled with high-strength composite buoyancy material, so that the device is in a near-zero buoyancy state underwater.

[0010] Furthermore, the sensing module includes: a high-precision inertial measurement unit (IMU), a depth gauge, an altimeter, an ultra-short baseline positioning system (USBL), and vision / sonar equipment; Furthermore, the high-precision inertial measurement unit is used to monitor the load's three-axis attitude angles and angular velocities in real time at high frequency; and to monitor the load's three-axis attitude in real time at a frequency of 00Hz. Furthermore, ultra-short baseline positioning systems are used to provide centimeter-level horizontal positions relative to seabed beacons.

[0011] Furthermore, the control unit incorporates an adaptive fuzzy PID controller and a disturbance observer (DOB). The system employs a parallel control architecture, meaning that sensing, decision-making, and execution are all completed at the spreader end, eliminating the delay caused by long cable transmission; the swing angular velocity is detected by an IMU, and the reverse thrust is calculated and output. Active damping is injected to suppress the long pendulum motion of the system.

[0012] Furthermore, the thruster assembly has different control logics in different operational phases: in the deep-water transport phase, it executes active damping mode to suppress sway; in the target search phase, it uses USBL data to execute dynamic positioning mode to resist ocean current drift; in the precision docking phase, it executes position servo mode, uses a disturbance observer (DOB) to estimate the external flow field in real time, and combines feedforward compensation to achieve centimeter-level precision docking and soft landing between the base station and the predetermined seabed location, thus achieving soft landing docking.

[0013] Furthermore, the control of the thruster assembly during operation; during active stabilization deployment and docking operations; Furthermore, the thruster assembly consists of four underwater brushless DC thrusters, which can simultaneously control the three degrees of freedom of sway, pitch, and bow through differential control.

[0014] Furthermore, the buoyancy component uses a pressure-resistant solid buoyancy material made of epoxy resin and hollow glass microspheres, which can withstand high pressure in deep water and does not absorb water.

[0015] The functionality of this invention is divided into three stages: I. Deepwater Transport Stage (Active Damping Mode): 1. The device is lowered along with the cable, and the sensing module detects the oscillations caused by waves or fluid. 2. The control unit calculates the oscillation angular velocity and controls the thruster assembly to output a thrust that is opposite in direction and proportional in magnitude to the oscillation. ; 3. This process involves injecting active damping into the system to suppress the sway amplitude from ±3 meters to within ±0.5 meters.

[0016] II. Target Search Phase (Dynamic Positioning Mode): 1. When the device approaches the seabed at a height of approximately 20 meters, switch to dynamic positioning mode; 2. Based on the position deviation feedback from USBL, the control unit drives the thruster to output a constant anti-current thrust. And correct the heading; 3. Control the horizontal drift error of the base station to within 10 cm and the heading error to less than 2°.

[0017] III. Precision Docking Phase (High-Precision Mode): 1. At approximately 5 meters from the bottom, precision docking commences; 2. The Disturbance Observer (DOB) estimates the external flow field in real time and, combined with feedforward compensation, achieves centimeter-level precision docking and soft landing between the base station and the predetermined seabed location; 3. The system exhibits virtual high-precision characteristics, and with visual / sonar guidance, it achieves sub-centimeter alignment between the guide pin and the guide hole, and completes a soft landing at a speed of less than 0.1m / s.

[0018] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: 1. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device provided by the present invention breaks through the physical limitations of traditional passive hoisting through an active power compensation mechanism. It can offset the kinetic energy generated by the deep-sea long cable in real time. According to experimental calculations, its suppression rate of underwater sway amplitude can reach more than 83%, which significantly improves the dynamic stability during the deployment process. 2. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device provided by the present invention has high-precision autonomous positioning and attitude control capabilities. Without the need to deploy physical guide cables or configure additional work-grade ROVs, it can perform seabed docking tasks with centimeter-level precision by its own power, which greatly shortens the operation window period under complex sea conditions. 3. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device provided by the present invention adopts a load-separated frame design to ensure the safety of the overall structure when bearing large tonnage loads. Combined with a non-contact active anti-interference strategy, it fundamentally avoids the risk of mechanical collision between the end load and surrounding facilities. 4. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device provided by the present invention adopts a highly modular interface design, which has strong adaptability and versatility. It can serve the deployment tasks of underwater robot base stations, energy centers or sensor arrays of different specifications according to actual task requirements, realizing the multi-purpose use of deep-sea precision operation equipment.

[0019] In summary, the technical solution of this invention solves the problems of large swing amplitude, low efficiency of manual or ROV assistance, and poor accuracy in the prior art. Attached Figure Description

[0020] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the present invention; Figure 2This is an enlarged view of the central control and sensing integrated cabin of the present invention; Figure 3 This is an enlarged view of the thrust vector layout of the propeller of the present invention; Figure 4 This is an enlarged description of the precision docking mechanism of the present invention; Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the actual ship operation of the present invention.

[0022] In the picture: 1. Main framework; 2. Thruster assembly; 3. Sensing module; 4. Control unit; 5. Umbilical cord cable; 6. Deep-sea AUV base station; 61. Support rod; 62. Rubber buffer pad; 63. Near-bottom visual monitoring camera; 7. Buoyancy components. Detailed Implementation

[0023] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in the present invention can be combined with each other. The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0024] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention clearer, the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative and is in no way intended to limit the present invention or its application or use. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0025] It should be noted that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of exemplary embodiments according to the invention. As used herein, the singular form is intended to include the plural form as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Furthermore, it should be understood that when the terms "comprising" and / or "including" are used in this specification, they indicate the presence of features, steps, operations, devices, components, and / or combinations thereof.

[0026] Unless otherwise specifically stated, the relative arrangement, numerical expressions, and values ​​of the components and steps set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. It should also be understood that, for ease of description, the dimensions of the various parts shown in the drawings are not drawn to actual scale. Techniques, methods, and devices known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and devices should be considered part of the specification. In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not as limitations. Therefore, other examples of exemplary embodiments may have different values. It should be noted that similar reference numerals and letters in the following figures denote similar items; therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0027] In the description of this invention, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by directional terms such as "front, back, up, down, left, right", "horizontal, vertical, horizontal" and "top, bottom" is generally based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description. Unless otherwise stated, these directional terms do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation on the scope of protection of this invention. The directional terms "inner" and "outer" refer to the inner and outer contours relative to the outline of each component itself.

[0028] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "above," "over," "on the upper surface of," "above," etc., are used herein to describe the spatial positional relationship of a device or feature as shown in the figures to other devices or features. It should be understood that spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations in use or operation besides the orientation of the device as described in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is inverted, a device described as "above" or "above" other devices or structures would subsequently be positioned as "below" or "under" other devices or structures. Thus, the exemplary term "above" can include both "above" and "below." The device may also be positioned in other different ways (rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and the spatial relative descriptions used herein will be interpreted accordingly.

[0029] Furthermore, it should be noted that the use of terms such as "first" and "second" to define components is merely for the purpose of distinguishing the corresponding components. Unless otherwise stated, the above terms have no special meaning and therefore should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this invention.

[0030] like Figure 1As shown, this invention provides an active stabilization deployment and docking rig for an underwater base station, comprising: 1 a main frame, 2 a thruster assembly, 3 a sensing module, 4 a control unit, 5 an umbilical cable, and 6 a deep-sea AUV base station. The main frame 1 has a cross-shaped structure and connects the mother ship's lifting cable to the deep-sea AUV base station 6, used to transfer gravity loads; the thruster assembly 2 includes four thrusters, respectively installed at the four ends of the main frame 1, used to output multi-vector thrust; the sensing module 3 is installed on the main frame 1 and used to monitor the attitude, position, and environmental flow field information of the device in real time; the control unit 4 is located in a pressure-resistant sealed chamber, communicates with the mother ship and obtains power through the umbilical cable 5, and drives the thruster assembly 2 according to the data from the sensing module 3 to achieve active steady-state control of the deep-sea AUV base station 6.

[0031] like Figure 2 As shown, although the main frame 1 provides the skeletal support, its core control logic relies on the control unit 4. In the central structure of the device, the control unit 4 employs a cylindrical pressure-resistant sealed chamber design surrounding the main body. The sensing module 3 is not a single component but rather arranged in a distributed configuration: its end caps integrate the sensing modules 3 via watertight flanges. A high-frequency gyroscope is integrated at the connection lug between the umbilical cable 5 and the main frame 1. This unit is connected to the control unit 4 via a watertight bus and is responsible for monitoring the initial phase of the low-frequency long-swing motion caused by the deep-sea cable. The altimeter and USBL head are mounted vertically downwards on the outside of the end caps. This juxtaposed layout ensures a high degree of spatial consistency between sensing data and control decisions, effectively eliminating physical lag between sensors and actuators.

[0032] like Figure 3 As shown, in the enlarged section at point B at the end of the main frame cantilever, the thruster assembly 2 is fixed to the load-bearing skeleton of the main frame 1 via an L-shaped stainless steel bracket. The yellow solid material block of the buoyancy component 7 has a fluid-guiding chamfer near the thruster, a design that ensures that the high-speed water jet ejected by the thruster is not obstructed by the buoyancy block. Through this compact end layout, the thruster can generate maximum control arm, which, combined with the static buoyancy compensation provided by the buoyancy component 7, enables agile control of the device's heading and horizontal displacement.

[0033] like Figure 4 As shown in the enlarged description of the precision docking mechanism of the device, four support bases 61 matching the deep-sea AUV base station 6 are distributed at the bottom of the main frame 1. Rubber buffer pads 62 are provided on the supports to absorb the impact kinetic energy during docking, achieving a soft landing. Simultaneously, a near-bottom visual monitoring camera 63 is arranged at this location, which, in conjunction with the control algorithm, switches to a high-precision anti-interference position servo mode during the final 5-meter stage of docking, ensuring that the base station can accurately land at the predetermined coordinates.

[0034] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present invention, and not to limit them; although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features; and these modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A lifting device for active stabilization deployment and docking of underwater base stations, characterized in that: The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device includes: main frame (1), thruster group (2), sensing module (3), control unit (4), umbilical cable (5), deep-sea AUV base station (6) and buoyancy component (7); The main frame (1) is a cross-shaped structure, connected between the mother ship's lifting cable and the deep-sea AUV base station (6), and is used to transmit gravity loads; The thruster assembly (2) comprises four thrusters, which are respectively installed at the four ends of the main frame (1) for outputting multi-vector thrust; The sensing module (3) is installed on the main frame (1) and is used to monitor the attitude, position and environmental flow field information of the device in real time. The main frame (1) is covered or installed with buoyancy components (7) on its cantilever. The control unit (4) is located in the pressure-resistant sealed chamber on the main frame (1). It communicates with the mother ship and obtains power through the umbilical cable (5). The control unit (4) drives the thruster group (2) to operate according to the data of the sensing module (3), thereby realizing active steady-state control of the deep-sea AUV base station (6).

2. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main frame (1) adopts a load separation design, with the stainless steel main frame and reinforcing ribs bearing the hoisting tension, while the propeller group (2) and electronic equipment do not bear the structural load; the frame is filled with high-strength composite buoyancy material, so that the device is in a near-zero buoyancy state underwater.

3. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The sensing module (3) includes: a high-precision inertial measurement unit (IMU), a depth gauge, an altimeter, an ultra-short baseline positioning system (USBL), and vision / sonar equipment; The high-precision inertial measurement unit is used to monitor the three-axis attitude angles and angular velocities of the load in real time at high frequency; The ultra-short baseline positioning system is used to provide centimeter-level horizontal position relative to seabed beacons.

4. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit (4) adopts a parallel control architecture, and the control algorithm includes an adaptive fuzzy PID controller and a disturbance observer (DOB) module; it detects the oscillation angular velocity through the IMU, calculates and outputs the reverse thrust. Active damping is injected to suppress the long pendulum motion of the system.

5. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The thruster assembly (2) has different control logic in different operation stages: in the deep water transport stage, it executes active damping mode to suppress sway; in the target search stage, it uses USBL data to execute dynamic positioning mode to resist ocean current drift; in the precision docking stage, it executes position servo mode, uses the disturbance observer (DOB) to estimate the external flow field in real time, and combines feedforward compensation to achieve centimeter-level precision docking and soft landing between the base station and the predetermined seabed location, thus achieving soft landing docking.

6. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device according to claim 5, characterized in that: The control of the thruster assembly (2) during operation; during active stabilization deployment and docking operations; The thruster assembly (2) consists of four underwater brushless DC thrusters, which can simultaneously control the three degrees of freedom of sway, pitch, and bow through differential control.

7. The underwater base station active stabilization deployment and docking lifting device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoyancy component (7) is a pressure-resistant solid buoyancy material made of epoxy resin and hollow glass microspheres, which can resist the high pressure of deep water and does not absorb water.

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