An underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery

Abstract

An underwater robot for OBN node deployment and retrieval, relating to the field of underwater equipment technology, includes a frame, a robotic arm, grippers, a walking assembly, a propulsion assembly, and storage, handling, cleaning, and cutting devices located inside the frame. The frame is divided into a work area and a storage area. The storage device is located in the storage area and includes a movable storage compartment. The handling, cleaning, and cutting devices are all located in the work area, situated between the storage device and the robotic arm. The handling device includes paired movable and rotatable grippers for transferring nodes; the cleaning device includes movable and rotatable cleaning brushes for cleaning the node surface; the cutting device includes a movable, flip-up, and elastically mounted cutting blade holder and cutting blades for cutting attached debris. This invention integrates storage, handling, cleaning, and cutting functions into one unit, enabling autonomous deployment and in-situ retrieval of OBN nodes, thus improving operational efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of underwater equipment technology, and in particular to an underwater robot suitable for deployment and recovery of OBN nodes. Background Technology

[0002] An ocean bottom node (OBN) is a multi-component seismograph located on the seabed that can independently acquire and record seismic signals. By deploying the node at a designated location on the seabed, a source vessel generates seismic waves, which the node receives and records the reflected signals. Finally, the data is retrieved from the node and downloaded to complete the seismic exploration. Due to its advantages such as high coverage, multiple arrangement options, wide azimuth coverage, and high precision, OBN technology has been widely applied in marine oil and gas resource exploration and reservoir monitoring.

[0003] Currently, the deployment and retrieval of OBN nodes mainly rely on two methods: In shallow water areas, nodes are often manually dropped directly from the deck into the water. This method is fast, but the nodes are greatly affected by ocean currents during descent, making it impossible to control their landing attitude and position, resulting in significant deployment deviations. In deep water areas, remotely operated underwater vehicles (ROVs) are typically used to carry nodes to the seabed for precise, point-by-point deployment. The ROV uses its robotic arm to hold the nodes and place them at predetermined coordinates. Correspondingly, the retrieval operation involves the ROV diving to the seabed to retrieve each node and return it to the mother ship on the surface.

[0004] However, the aforementioned existing technology has the following problems: First, deployment and recovery efficiency is low. The number of nodes that an ROV can carry on each dive is limited by the capacity of its basket or mounting platform. After deploying a batch of nodes, it must return to the mother ship on the surface for reloading, a process that is time-consuming. In deep-water areas and exploration operations requiring the deployment of large-scale node arrays, ROVs frequently travel between the surface and the seabed, severely restricting overall operational efficiency. Similarly, recovery operations face the same efficiency bottleneck—ROVs need to make multiple trips after recovering each node, resulting in long operation cycles and high costs.

[0005] Second, there is a lack of in-situ processing capabilities after recovery. After being deployed on the seabed and operating for a long time, the outer surface of the nodes often becomes covered with marine organisms such as seaweed, shellfish, and barnacles, or entangled with connecting cables, ropes, and other debris. Under the current operating model, the cleaning of these attachments must be carried out after the nodes are retrieved to the deck of the mother ship, and the cleaning and cutting are done manually or by separate deck equipment, which increases the node turnover cycle and labor costs.

[0006] In summary, improving the efficiency of OBN node deployment and retrieval operations, and achieving in-situ cleaning and cutting pretreatment of retrieval nodes, has become an urgent problem to be solved in the field of OBN node deployment and retrieval technology. Summary of the Invention

[0007] To address the above problems, this invention proposes an underwater robot suitable for deployment and retrieval at OBN nodes, comprising: The rack has an internal working area and a storage area arranged from front to back; A robotic arm is mounted at the front end of the frame; A gripper is mounted at the end of the robotic arm; A walking assembly, mounted at the bottom of the frame, is used to support the frame and move underwater; A propulsion assembly, mounted on the frame, is used to provide propulsion in the water; A storage device is provided in the storage area. The storage device includes a movable storage compartment for storing OBN nodes that are to be deployed or have been recycled. A transport device is disposed in the work area and located between the storage device and the robotic arm. The transport device includes a pair of movable and rotatable clamps, which are used to clamp OBN nodes for transfer between the robotic arm and the storage device. A cleaning device is installed in the work area and located between the storage device and the robotic arm. The cleaning device includes a movable and rotatable cleaning brush, which is used to clean the surface of the recycled OBN node. A cutting device is disposed in the work area and located between the storage device and the robotic arm. The cutting device includes a movable, flip-up and elastically mounted cutting blade holder and a cutting blade mounted on the cutting blade holder. The cutting blade is used to cut off debris attached to the recycled OBN node.

[0008] Furthermore, the storage device also includes a support frame, a rotating frame, a rotation drive device, several lifting frames, and a lifting drive device; the support frame is fixedly installed inside the frame, the rotating frame is rotatably installed on the support frame, the rotation drive device is installed on the support frame and is used to drive the rotating frame to rotate, and the lifting frames are all lifted and lowered on the rotating frame and driven to rise and fall by the lifting drive device; each lifting frame is provided with several storage compartments.

[0009] Furthermore, a limit block is slidably and elastically installed at the inlet of the storage compartment to position and constrain the stored OBN node; the storage compartment is provided with a clearance groove corresponding to the clamping block, and the clamping block clamping the OBN node can enter the innermost part of the storage compartment through the clearance groove.

[0010] Furthermore, each clamping block is provided with a set of moving drive device one, moving drive device two, mounting plate one, and rotating drive device two; the moving drive device one is mounted on the frame and is used to drive the moving drive device two to move longitudinally along the frame; the moving drive device two is mounted on the moving drive device one and is used to drive the mounting plate one to move laterally along the frame; the rotating drive device two is mounted on the mounting plate one, the clamping block is mounted on the rotating drive device two, and the rotating drive device two is used to drive the clamping block to rotate.

[0011] Furthermore, the cleaning devices are arranged in pairs and symmetrically installed on the frame. Each set of cleaning devices also includes a third moving drive device, a second mounting plate, a mounting frame, a rotating plate, and a third rotating drive device. The third moving drive device is installed on the frame, and the second mounting plate is installed on the third moving drive device. The third moving drive device is used to drive the second mounting plate to move laterally along the frame. The mounting frame is ball-jointed to the second mounting plate. The rotating plate is rotatably installed on the mounting frame, and the cleaning brush is coaxially fixed on the rotating plate. The third rotating drive device is used to drive the rotating plate to rotate.

[0012] Furthermore, each set of the cleaning devices also includes a second cleaning brush, which is rotatably mounted on the rotating plate and driven to rotate by an independent motor.

[0013] Furthermore, the cutting device also includes a fourth movable drive device mounted on the frame; the cutting blade holder is rotatably and elastically mounted on the sliding block of the fourth movable drive device.

[0014] Furthermore, when the OBN node moves from the robotic arm toward the storage device and passes through the cutting device, the cutting blade holder flips backward under the push of the OBN node, and the cutting blade rotates backward with its cutting edge facing upward; when the OBN node moves from the storage device toward the robotic arm and passes through the cutting device, the cutting blade holder flips forward, and the cutting blade rotates forward with its cutting edge facing downward to avoid obstruction; the cutting blade has multiple cutting edges at different angles.

[0015] Furthermore, the gripper includes a bidirectional drive device, a pair of bases, and a finger drive device; the bidirectional drive device is installed at the end of the robotic arm and is used to drive the two bases to move closer or further apart; each base is provided with a mechanical finger, which includes a proximal phalanx, a middle phalanx, and a distal phalanx connected in sequence. The proximal phalanx is rotatably connected to the base, the middle phalanx is rotatably connected to the proximal phalanx, and the distal phalanx is rotatably connected to the middle phalanx; a first connecting rod is provided between the base and the middle phalanx, with both ends of the first connecting rod rotatably connected to the base and the middle phalanx respectively; a second connecting rod is provided between the proximal phalanx and the distal phalanx, with both ends of the second connecting rod rotatably connected to the proximal phalanx and the distal phalanx respectively; the finger driving device is used to drive the movement of the mechanical finger.

[0016] Furthermore, the walking assembly includes a tracked walking mechanism, the propulsion assembly includes a propeller propeller, and the robotic arm is a multi-joint robotic arm.

[0017] Because the present invention adopts the above-described technical solution, it has the following advantages compared with the prior art: 1. This invention achieves high-density storage in multiple compartments by setting up a storage device inside the rack and using a combined drive of a rotating frame and a lifting frame, enabling the one-time deployment of a large number of OBN nodes for underwater operations. With the help of a handling device, the nodes are automatically transferred between the storage compartment and the robotic arm inside the rack, avoiding the problem of frequent returns to the mother ship for reloading in traditional ROV operations. This significantly shortens the cycle of a single deployment and recovery operation and reduces operating costs. 2. This invention integrates a cleaning device and a cutting device inside the frame, which can directly clean and cut marine organisms such as seaweed and shellfish attached to the node surface, as well as debris such as tangled connecting cables and ropes, during the recycling process. This eliminates the need to recycle the node to the mother ship deck for a separate cleaning process, reducing node turnover links and labor costs, and improving the efficiency of node reuse. 3. This invention improves the adaptability of the gripping mechanism to nodes in different states (vertical or horizontal). The gripper adopts an underactuated multi-link coupling mechanism with proximal, middle and distal phalanges, which can adaptively envelop OBN nodes in different states when gripping them, improving the compatibility of the operation and the reliability of gripping, while avoiding node damage caused by gripping mismatch. 4. The cutting blade holder and the moving drive device of the present invention are rotatably and elastically connected. When the OBN node passes along the retrieval direction, the cutting blade holder flips backward to expose the cutting edge upward for cutting; when the node passes along the deployment direction, the cutting blade holder flips forward to avoid obstruction with the cutting edge downward. This passive bidirectional switching mechanism ensures effective cutting of attached debris during retrieval and no damage to the node surface during deployment, achieving safety protection without additional active control. 5. The mounting frame and mounting plate of the cleaning device of the present invention are connected by a ball joint, which allows the mounting frame to rotate in space relative to the mounting plate. The cleaning brush can adaptively conform to the node surface with different postures and shapes. At the same time, the cleaning device with symmetrical arrangement on both sides cleans from both sides of the node simultaneously. The dual-brush collaborative working mode of cleaning brush one rotating synchronously with the rotating plate and cleaning brush two rotating independently improves the cleaning effect and efficiency. 6. The walking component of this invention adopts a tracked walking mechanism, which can walk stably on the surface of seabed sediments. When moving close to the seabed in densely populated work areas, it will not stir up seabed sediments due to propeller propulsion, thus ensuring underwater visibility and operational accuracy. The propulsion component adopts a propeller propulsion device, which enables the equipment to hover, float and dive in water, meeting the flexible operation requirements under different water depth conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the storage device, handling device, cleaning device, and cutting device of the present invention.

[0020] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the storage device of the present invention.

[0021] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the lifting frame and storage compartment in the storage device of the present invention.

[0022] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the limiting block in the storage device of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the assembly structure of the handling device, cleaning device, and cutting device of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the transport device of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the cleaning device of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 9 This is a partial structural schematic diagram of the cleaning device of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram of the operation of the cutting device of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the cutting device of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 12 This is a schematic diagram of the gripper structure of the present invention.

[0030] Figure 13 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the gripper mechanical finger of the present invention.

[0031] Icon labels: 1-Frame; 101-Protective Cover; 2-Storage Device; 201-Support Frame; 202-Rotary Drive Device 1; 203-Rotary Frame; 204-Lifting Frame; 205-Lifting Drive Device; 206-Storage Compartment; 2061-Limit Block; 3-Transfer Device; 301-Movement Drive Device 1; 302-Movement Drive Device 2; 303-Mounting Plate 1; 304-Rotary Drive Device 2; 305-Clamping Block; 4-Cleaning Device; 401-Movement Drive Device 3; 402-Mounting Plate 2; 403-Mounting Frame; 404-Rotary Drive Device 3; 405-Rotary Plate; 406-Cleaning Brush 1; 407 - Cleaning brush 2; 5- Cutting device; 501- Moving drive device 4; 502- Cutting blade holder; 503- Cutting blade; 6- Robotic arm; 7- Gripper; 701- Bidirectional drive device; 702- Base; 703- Proximal phalanx; 704- Middle phalanx; 705- Distal phalanx; 706- Link 1; 707- Link 2; 708- Joint pivot 1; 709- Joint pivot 2; 710- Joint pivot 3; 711- Connecting shaft 1; 712- Connecting shaft 2; 713- Connecting shaft 3; 714- Connecting shaft 4; 715- Finger drive device; 8- Walking assembly; 9- Propulsion assembly; 10- OBN node. Detailed Implementation

[0032] The technical solution of the present invention will be further described in detail below through embodiments and in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention; however, the present invention can be practiced in many other ways different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0033] In the description of this invention, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "in", "out", "front", "rear", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings, or the orientation or positional relationship in which the product of this invention is usually placed when in use. They are only for the convenience of describing this invention and simplifying the description, and 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. Therefore, they should not be construed as limiting this invention.

[0034] An underwater robot suitable for deployment and recovery of OBN nodes, such as Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the system includes a frame 1, a robotic arm 6, a gripper 7, a walking assembly 8, a propulsion assembly 9, and a storage device 2, a handling device 3, a cleaning device 4, and a cutting device 5 installed inside the frame 1. The walking assembly 8 is installed at the bottom of the frame 1 to support the frame 1 and enable underwater movement. The propulsion assembly 9 is installed on the frame 1 to provide underwater propulsion to drive the entire machine. The interior of the frame 1 is divided into a working area and a storage area from front to back: the handling device 3, the cleaning device 4, and the cutting device 5 are all located in the working area, arranged near the rear of the robotic arm 6; the storage device 2 is located in the storage area, positioned behind the working area.

[0035] A robotic arm 6 extends from the front end of the frame 1 to directly grasp or release OBN nodes 10 in the seabed environment. A handling device 3 is used to transfer OBN nodes 10 between the robotic arm 6 and the storage device 2. A cleaning device 4 is used to clean the surface of the recovered OBN nodes 10. A cutting device 5 is used to cut off debris (such as seaweed) attached to the recovered OBN nodes 10. The storage device 2 is used to store OBN nodes 10 to be deployed or recovered OBN nodes 10. A protective cover 101 is provided inside the frame 1, covering the storage device 2 to protect the storage device 2 and the OBN nodes 10 stored inside.

[0036] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the storage device 2 includes a support frame 201, a rotation drive device 202, a rotating frame 203, a lifting frame 204, a lifting drive device 205, and storage compartments 206. The support frame 201 is fixedly installed inside the frame 1. The rotating frame 203 is rotatably mounted on the support frame 201, and the rotation drive device 202 is mounted on the support frame 201 to drive the rotating frame 203 to rotate. Several lifting frames 204 are provided, each lifted and lowered on the rotating frame 203, and driven to rise and fall by the lifting drive device 205. Each lifting frame 204 has several storage compartments 206; in this embodiment, each lifting frame 204 has three storage compartments 206 along the vertical direction. Figure 5 As shown, a limit block 2061 is slidably and elastically installed at the inlet of the storage compartment 206. The limit block 2061 is used to position and constrain the stored OBN node 10.

[0037] Specifically, the rotary drive device 202 uses a motor, and its output end is connected to the rotary frame 203 via a gear set. The lifting drive device 205 uses an electric lead screw, and the lifting frame 204 is threadedly connected to the lead screw. An isolation cover is provided between the lifting frame 204 and the end of the lead screw to isolate the lead screw from the external water environment.

[0038] like Figure 6 and Figure 7As shown, the conveying device 3 includes paired clamping blocks 305. Each clamping block 305 is equipped with a set of moving drive device 1 301, moving drive device 2 302, mounting plate 1 303, and rotating drive device 2 304. Moving drive device 1 301 is mounted on the frame 1, and moving drive device 2 302 is mounted on moving drive device 1 301. Moving drive device 1 301 drives moving drive device 2 302 to move longitudinally along the frame 1. Mounting plate 1 303 is mounted on moving drive device 2 302, and moving drive device 2 302 drives mounting plate 1 303 to move laterally along the frame 1. Rotating drive device 2 304 is mounted on mounting plate 1 303, and clamping blocks 305 are mounted on rotating drive device 2 304. Rotating drive device 2 304 drives clamping blocks 305 to rotate. The paired clamping blocks 305 are used to clamp OBN nodes 10 from both sides.

[0039] Specifically, the first moving drive device 301 uses an electric lead screw, and an isolation cover is provided between the sliding block of the lead screw and the end of the lead screw; the second moving drive device 302 uses an electric slide table; and the second rotating drive device 304 uses a motor. The storage compartment 206 has a clearance groove corresponding to the clamping block 305, allowing the clamping block 305 clamping the OBN node 10 to enter the innermost part of the storage compartment 206 through the clearance groove.

[0040] like Figure 6 , Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, the cleaning devices 4 are arranged in pairs and symmetrically mounted on the frame 1. Each set of cleaning devices 4 includes a third moving drive device 401, a second mounting plate 402, a mounting bracket 403, a third rotating drive device 404, a rotating plate 405, a first cleaning brush 406, and a second cleaning brush 407. The third moving drive device 401 is mounted on the frame 1, and the second mounting plate 402 is mounted on the third moving drive device 401. The third moving drive device 401 is used to drive the second mounting plate 402 to move laterally along the frame 1. The mounting bracket 403 is disposed on the second mounting plate 402. More specifically, the mounting bracket 403 is ball-jointed to the second mounting plate 402, allowing the mounting bracket 403 to rotate in space relative to the second mounting plate 402. The rotating plate 405 is rotatably mounted on the mounting bracket 403, and the third rotating drive device 404 is mounted on the mounting bracket 403 to drive the rotating plate 405 to rotate. Cleaning brush 406 is coaxially fixed on rotating plate 405, and rotates synchronously with rotating plate 405. Cleaning brush 407 is rotatably mounted on rotating plate 405 and driven to rotate by a motor (not shown in the figure) mounted on rotating plate 405. A slip ring is provided inside mounting bracket 403 to solve the problem of wire entanglement between cleaning brush 406 and cleaning brush 407 during rotation. A cleaning position is formed between the paired cleaning devices 4. After OBN node 10 is transferred to this cleaning position by transport device 3, it is cleaned by cleaning device 4.

[0041] Specifically, the moving drive device 3 401 adopts an electric slide table; the rotating drive device 3 404 adopts a motor, the output end of which is coaxially and fixedly connected to the rotating plate 405.

[0042] like Figure 6 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, the cutting device 5 is positioned below the OBN node in the clean position. The cutting device 5 includes a moving drive unit 501, a cutting blade holder 502, and a cutting blade 503. The moving drive unit 501 is mounted on the frame 1 and can be an electric slide. The cutting blade holder 502 is mounted on a sliding block of the moving drive unit 501, and the moving drive unit 501 drives the cutting blade holder 502 to move laterally along the frame 1. The cutting blade holder 502 is rotatably connected to the sliding block of the moving drive unit 501, and the cutting blade holder 502 is elastically connected to the sliding block, allowing the cutting blade holder 502 to elastically deflect when subjected to external force. The cutting blade 503 is fixedly mounted on the top of the cutting blade holder 502, and the cutting blade 503 has multiple cutting edges at different angles to accommodate different cutting angle requirements.

[0043] When the OBN node 10 moves from the robotic arm 6 towards the storage device 2 and passes through the cutting device 5, the cutting blade holder 502 flips backward under the push of the OBN node 10, and the cutting blade 503 rotates backward accordingly, with the cutting edge facing upward to cut debris on the surface of the OBN node 10. When the OBN node 10 moves from the storage device 2 towards the robotic arm 6 and passes through the cutting device 5, the cutting blade holder 502 flips forward, and the cutting blade 503 rotates forward accordingly, with the cutting edge facing downward to avoid damage to the surface of the OBN node 10.

[0044] like Figure 12 and Figure 13 As shown, the gripper 7 includes a bidirectional drive device 701, a base 702, a mechanical finger, and a finger drive device 715. The bases 702 are arranged in pairs, and the bidirectional drive device 701 is mounted on the end of the robotic arm 6 to drive the two bases 702 to move closer or further apart. Each base 702 is equipped with a mechanical finger and a finger drive device 715 for driving the movement of the mechanical finger. The mechanical finger includes a proximal phalanx 703, a middle phalanx 704, and a distal phalanx 705 connected in sequence.

[0045] The proximal phalanx 703 is rotatably mounted on the base 702 via a first joint pivot 708. The middle phalanx 704 is rotatably mounted on the proximal phalanx 703 via a second joint pivot 709. The distal phalanx 705 is rotatably mounted on the middle phalanx 704 via a third joint pivot 710. A first connecting rod 706 is provided between the base 702 and the middle phalanx 704. One end of the first connecting rod 706 is rotatably connected to the base 702 via a first connecting shaft 711, and the other end is rotatably connected to the middle phalanx 704 via a second connecting shaft 712. A second connecting rod 707 is provided between the proximal phalanx 703 and the distal phalanx 705. One end of the second connecting rod 707 is rotatably connected to the proximal phalanx 703 via a third connecting shaft 713, and the other end is rotatably connected to the distal phalanx 705 via a fourth connecting shaft 714.

[0046] The finger drive device 715 is used to drive the proximal phalanx 703, middle phalanx 704, and distal phalanx 705 to produce a coordinated bending motion. Under the coupling action of link one 706 and link two 707, the proximal phalanx 703, middle phalanx 704, and distal phalanx 705 have underactuated coordinated motion characteristics, which enables the gripper 7 to adaptively enclose targets of different shapes when grasping the OBN node 10.

[0047] Specifically, the bidirectional drive device 701 uses a bidirectional electric cylinder. The finger drive device 715 uses a servo electric cylinder, whose cylinder body is rotatably mounted on the base 702, and whose telescopic end is rotatably connected to the corresponding proximal phalanx 703.

[0048] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the walking assembly 8 includes a tracked walking mechanism, which is installed on both sides of the bottom of the frame 1 to enable the equipment to move stably on the surface of seabed sediments. The propulsion assembly 9 includes a propeller thruster, which is installed on the top or side of the frame 1 to provide propulsion in the water, enabling the equipment to hover, float, or submerge. The robotic arm 6 is a multi-joint robotic arm, with its base installed at the front end of the frame 1 and its gripper 7 installed at the end of the multi-joint robotic arm. The multi-joint robotic arm is used to drive the gripper 7 to perform multi-degree-of-freedom movements in space to achieve precise grasping and placement of the seabed OBN node 10.

[0049] The working principle of this embodiment is as follows: During deployment, the rotation drive device 202 in the storage device 2 drives the rotating frame 203 to rotate, aligning the target storage position with the transport device 3. The lifting drive device 205 drives the lifting frame 204 to rise and fall, bringing the storage bin 206 to the corresponding height. The movement drive device 301 and the movement drive device 302 in the transport device 3 work together to move the mounting plate 303, causing the clamping blocks 305 to reach both sides of the OBN node 10 located in the storage bin 206. After the clamping blocks 305 clamp the OBN node 10, the transport device 3 transfers the OBN node 10 to the pick-up and drop position of the robot arm 6. The robotic arm 6 moves the gripper 7 to the pick-and-place position. The bidirectional drive device 701 of the gripper 7 drives the two bases 702 to open, and the finger drive device 715 drives the proximal phalanx 703, middle phalanx 704, and distal phalanx 705 to extend. The robotic arm 6 places the gripper 7 onto the outside of the OBN node 10. The bidirectional drive device 701 drives the two bases 702 to move closer. Under the coupling action of the underactuated linkage mechanism, the gripper 7 adaptively envelops and clamps the OBN node 10. The robotic arm 6 moves the gripper 7 and the OBN node 10 to the target deployment position. The bidirectional drive device 701 drives the bases 702 to open, and the OBN node 10 is released and placed at the designated location on the seabed.

[0050] During the recovery operation, the robotic arm 6 moves the gripper 7 to the OBN node 10 to be recovered. The gripper 7 envelops and clamps the OBN node 10 through an underactuated adaptive gripping mechanism. The robotic arm 6 lifts the OBN node 10 from the seabed and moves it to the pick-and-place position of the handling device 3. After the clamping block 305 of the handling device 3 clamps the OBN node 10, it transfers the OBN node 10 to the working position of the cleaning device 4. The moving drive device 3 401 in the cleaning device 4 drives the mounting plate 2 402 to move, so that the cleaning brush 1 406 and the cleaning brush 2 407 contact the surface of the OBN node 10. The rotation drive device 3 404 drives the rotating plate 405 to rotate. The cleaning brush 1 406 rotates synchronously with the rotating plate 405, while the cleaning brush 2 407 rotates independently under the drive of the motor. When the clamping block 305 drives the OBN node 10 to rotate under the drive of the rotation drive device 2 304, the two sets of cleaning devices 4 clean the surface of the OBN node 10 from both sides simultaneously. When a connecting cable or rope is attached to OBN node 10, the moving drive device 501 in the cutting device 5 drives the cutting blade holder 502 to move, causing the cutting blade 503 to contact the connecting object. Supported by the elastically connected cutting blade holder 502, the cutting blade 503 adaptively adjusts its cutting angle, with multiple cutting edges at different angles ensuring effective cutting of the connecting object. After cleaning and cutting, the transport device 3 transfers OBN node 10 to the storage device 2. The rotating drive device 202 and the lifting drive device 205 in the storage device 2 coordinate to adjust the position of the storage compartment 206, aligning the target storage location with OBN node 10. After OBN node 10 is placed in the storage compartment 206, the limiting block 2061 positions and constrains it.

Claims

1. An underwater robot suitable for deployment and retrieval at OBN nodes, characterized in that, include: The rack (1) has an operating area and a storage area arranged from front to back inside; A robotic arm (6) is mounted on the front end of the frame (1); A gripper (7) is mounted on the end of the robotic arm (6); A walking assembly (8) is installed at the bottom of the frame (1) for supporting the frame (1) and walking underwater; A propulsion assembly (9), mounted on the frame (1), is used to provide propulsion in water; Storage device (2), located in storage area, includes a movable storage compartment (206) for storing OBN nodes (10) to be deployed or recovered; A transport device (3) is set in the work area and located between the storage device (2) and the robot (6). The transport device (3) includes a pair of movable and rotatable clamps (305). The pair of clamps (305) are used to clamp the OBN node (10) for transfer between the robot (6) and the storage device (2). A cleaning device (4) is set in the work area and located between the storage device (2) and the robot (6). The cleaning device (4) includes a movable and rotatable cleaning brush (406) for cleaning the surface of the recycled OBN node (10). A cutting device (5) is set in the work area and located between the storage device (2) and the robot (6). The cutting device (5) includes a movable, flip-up and elastically mounted cutting blade holder (502) and a cutting blade (503) mounted on the cutting blade holder (502). The cutting blade (503) is used to cut off debris attached to the recycled OBN node (10).

2. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The storage device (2) further includes a support frame (201), a rotating frame (203), a first rotating drive device (202), several lifting frames (204), and a lifting drive device (205); the support frame (201) is fixedly installed inside the frame (1), the rotating frame (203) is rotatably installed on the support frame (201), the first rotating drive device (202) is installed on the support frame (201) and used to drive the rotating frame (203) to rotate, and the lifting frames (204) are all lifted and lowered on the rotating frame (203) and driven to rise and fall by the lifting drive device (205); each of the lifting frames (204) is provided with several storage compartments (206).

3. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 2, characterized in that, A limit block (2061) is slidably and elastically installed at the inlet of the storage compartment (206) for positioning and constraining the stored OBN node (10); the storage compartment (206) is provided with a clearance groove corresponding to the clamping block (305), and the clamping block (305) clamping the OBN node (10) can enter the innermost part of the storage compartment (206) through the clearance groove.

4. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, Each clamping block (305) is provided with a set of moving drive device one (301), moving drive device two (302), mounting plate one (303), and rotating drive device two (304); the moving drive device one (301) is mounted on the frame (1) and is used to drive the moving drive device two (302) to move longitudinally along the frame (1); the moving drive device two (302) is mounted on the moving drive device one (301) and is used to drive the mounting plate one (303) to move laterally along the frame (1); the rotating drive device two (304) is mounted on the mounting plate one (303), the clamping block (305) is mounted on the rotating drive device two (304), and the rotating drive device two (304) is used to drive the clamping block (305) to rotate.

5. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cleaning devices (4) are arranged in pairs and symmetrically installed on the frame (1). Each set of cleaning devices (4) further includes a third moving drive device (401), a second mounting plate (402), a mounting bracket (403), a rotating plate (405), and a third rotating drive device (404). The third moving drive device (401) is installed on the frame (1), and the second mounting plate (402) is installed on the third moving drive device (401). The third moving drive device (401) is used to drive the second mounting plate (402) to move laterally along the frame (1). The mounting bracket (403) is ball-jointed to the second mounting plate (402). The rotating plate (405) is rotatably installed on the mounting bracket (403), and the first cleaning brush (406) is coaxially fixed on the rotating plate (405). The third rotating drive device (404) is used to drive the rotating plate (405) to rotate.

6. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 5, characterized in that, Each cleaning device (4) further includes a second cleaning brush (407), which is rotatably mounted on the rotating plate (405) and driven to rotate by an independent motor.

7. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The cutting device (5) further includes a four-way moving drive device (501) mounted on the frame (1); the cutting blade holder (502) is rotatably and elastically mounted on the sliding block of the four-way moving drive device (501).

8. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 7, characterized in that, When the OBN node (10) moves from the robotic arm (6) toward the storage device (2) through the cutting device (5), the cutting blade holder (502) flips backward under the push of the OBN node (10), and the cutting blade (503) rotates backward with its cutting edge facing upward; when the OBN node (10) moves from the storage device (2) toward the robotic arm (6) through the cutting device (5), the cutting blade holder (502) flips forward, and the cutting blade (503) rotates forward with its cutting edge facing downward to avoid obstruction; the cutting blade (503) has multiple cutting edges at different angles.

9. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The gripper (7) includes a bidirectional drive device (701), a pair of bases (702), and a finger drive device (715); the bidirectional drive device (701) is installed at the end of the robotic hand (6) and is used to drive the two bases (702) to move closer or further apart; each base (702) is provided with a mechanical finger, which includes a proximal phalanx (703), a middle phalanx (704), and a distal phalanx (705) connected in sequence; The proximal phalanx (703) is rotatably connected to the base (702), the middle phalanx (704) is rotatably connected to the proximal phalanx (703), and the distal phalanx (705) is rotatably connected to the middle phalanx (704). A connecting rod 1 (706) is provided between the base (702) and the middle phalanx (704), and both ends of the connecting rod 1 (706) are rotatably connected to the base (702) and the middle phalanx (704), respectively. A connecting rod 2 (707) is provided between the proximal phalanx (703) and the distal phalanx (705), and both ends of the connecting rod 2 (707) are rotatably connected to the proximal phalanx (703) and the distal phalanx (705), respectively. The finger driving device (715) is used to drive the mechanical finger to move.

10. The underwater robot suitable for OBN node deployment and recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The walking assembly (8) includes a tracked walking mechanism, the propulsion assembly (9) includes a propeller propeller, and the manipulator (6) is a multi-joint manipulator.

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