Underwater sensor

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of sensors, and discloses an underwater sensor, which comprises a sealed cabin body, and a sensor transportation mechanism and a pushing structure which are arranged in the sealed cabin body. And at least one sensor channel for communicating the inside and the outside is arranged on the sealed cabin body. The sensor conveying mechanism is used for conveying the sensors to the sensor channel one by one. The pushing mechanism is used for pushing the new sensor on the sensor conveying mechanism into the sensor channel and pushing the old sensor in the sensor channel out of the sensor channel. A sealing structure is arranged on the sensor channel and / or the sensor, and the sensor located in the sensor channel seals the sensor channel through liquid. According to the underwater sensor, the containing number of the sensors can be increased, and the reliability of the automatic replacement process of the sensors is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to the technical field of sensors, in particular to an underwater sensor. Background Art

[0002] Underwater sensors are widely used to measure water quality parameters, temperature, and pressure in oceans, rivers, and lakes. Due to the severity of biofouling in aquatic environments, underwater sensors require regular maintenance and biofouling removal to maintain their measurement accuracy. When sensors are installed on a large scale or deployed offshore, maintenance requires significant manpower, material, and financial resources, increasing sensor maintenance costs. To address the aforementioned technical issues, Chinese utility model patent application number CN202111270617.1 discloses an automatic underwater sensor replacement system. This system uses a motor-driven push rod to push a spare sensor from a spare sensor placement area into a working sensor placement area and squeeze the sensor from the original working sensor placement area out of the sensor cavity, enabling automatic replacement of underwater sensors. However, in this solution, multiple spare sensors must be placed in a sequential, end-to-end arrangement within the sensor cavity. This limits the number of larger sensors that can be accommodated, and sensors positioned further back have a longer sliding stroke, making them susceptible to wear and damage during sliding. Furthermore, the system is prone to jamming during the pushing process, making automatic sensor replacement impossible. Utility Model Content

[0003] In order to overcome the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an underwater sensor that can increase the number of larger sensors that can be accommodated, shorten the moving distance of the sensor during the replacement process, and reduce the chance of jamming or sensor wear during the replacement process.

[0004] In order to solve the above problems, the technical solution adopted by the utility model is as follows: an underwater sensor, comprising: a sealed cabin, on which is provided at least one sensor channel, and the sensor channel connects the interior of the sealed cabin with the outside; a sensor transportation mechanism, which is arranged in the sealed cabin and stores a plurality of sensors, and is used to transport the sensors one by one to the sensor channel; a pushing mechanism, which is arranged in the sealed cabin and on one side of the sensor transportation mechanism, and is used to push the sensor on the sensor transportation mechanism into the sensor channel and push the old sensor in the sensor channel out of the sensor channel; wherein a sealing structure is provided on the sensor channel and / or the sensor, and the sensor in the sensor channel liquid-seals the sensor channel.

[0005] Compared to the prior art, the present invention has the following advantages: the sensor transport mechanism transports multiple spare sensors one by one to the sensor channel, allowing the pushing mechanism to push the new sensor transported to the sensor channel into the channel and push the old sensor out of the channel, completing the automatic sensor replacement. Because the spare sensors do not need to be stored end-to-end in a sealed cabin, the capacity of larger sensors is increased. It also avoids the problem of sensors positioned further back becoming stuck or damaged during movement due to their longer travel distance, thereby improving the reliability of the automatic sensor replacement process.

[0006] The above-mentioned underwater sensor has a first electrical connection structure provided on the side wall of the sensor channel and / or the pushing mechanism, the sensor includes a sensor sensitive unit, and a second electrical connection structure is provided on the outer surface of the sensor, the sensor sensitive unit is electrically connected to the second electrical connection structure, and the sensor in the sensor channel is in contact with the first electrical connection structure through the second electrical connection structure to achieve electrical connection with the outside.

[0007] The above-mentioned underwater sensor, the sensor transportation mechanism includes a rotating bracket and a rotating drive mechanism, the rotating bracket is rotatably arranged in the sealed cabin, the edge of the rotating bracket is provided with multiple sensor slots for storing the sensors, and the rotating drive mechanism is used to drive the rotating bracket to rotate so that each of the sensor slots on the rotating bracket is aligned with the sensor channel one by one.

[0008] In the above-mentioned underwater sensor, an opening is provided at one end of the sensor slot away from the rotation center of the rotating bracket, and a portion of the sensor in the sensor slot is exposed from the sensor slot.

[0009] In the above-mentioned underwater sensor, the pushing mechanism includes a pushing member and a pushing drive mechanism. The pushing member is slidably arranged in the sealed cabin, and the pushing member can reciprocate in the direction of the sensor channel under the drive of the pushing drive mechanism.

[0010] The above-mentioned underwater sensor, the pushing mechanism includes a pushing plate, a pushing motor, a screw pair and a guide rail, the directions of the screw pair and the guide rail are parallel to the direction of the sensor channel, one end of the pushing plate is connected to the slider on the guide rail, the other end of the pushing plate is connected to the screw nut on the screw pair, the pushing motor is connected to the screw in the screw pair, when the pushing motor drives the pushing plate to move along the guide rail toward the sensor channel through the screw pair, the pushing plate realizes the pushing of the sensor by contacting the part of the sensor exposed from the sensor slot.

[0011] The above-mentioned underwater sensor, the pushing motor is connected to the screw in the screw pair through a transmission mechanism, the transmission mechanism includes a gear set, the input gear in the gear set is connected to the output shaft of the pushing motor, and the output gear in the gear set is connected to the screw in the screw pair.

[0012] In the above-mentioned underwater sensor, the sealing structure includes two sealing rings arranged on the inner side wall of the sensor channel, and the first electrical connection structure is arranged on the inner side of the two sealing rings.

[0013] In the above-mentioned underwater sensor, a watertight joint is provided on the sealed cabin, and the watertight joint is electrically connected to the first electrical connection structure, the sensor transportation mechanism and the pushing mechanism.

[0014] The above-mentioned underwater sensor also includes a control mainboard, which is arranged in the sealed cabin. The first electrical connection structure, the sensor transportation mechanism and the pushing mechanism are all electrically connected to the control mainboard.

[0015] The above-mentioned underwater sensor, the sealed cabin includes a cylindrical main body, an upper cover and a lower cover, the upper cover and the lower cover are detachably mounted on both ends of the main body, and the sensor channel is provided on the upper cover or the lower cover.

[0016] The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the external structure of an underwater sensor according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 A side view of the internal structure of the underwater sensor according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0019] Figure 3 A cross-sectional view of an upper cover according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0020] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the internal structure of the underwater sensor according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0021] Figure 5 This is a front view of the internal structure of the underwater sensor according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

[0022] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of the sensor according to an embodiment of the present utility model.

[0023] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0024] 100 sealed cabin, 110 main body, 120 upper cover, 121 sensor channel, 122 sealing structure, 130 lower cover, 131 watertight joint, 200 sensor transportation mechanism, 210 rotating bracket, 220 rotating drive mechanism, 300 pushing mechanism, 310 screw pair, 320 guide rail, 330 pushing plate, 340 pushing motor, 350 transmission mechanism, 400 mounting bracket, 410 drive device fixing plate, 420 track fixing plate, 430 connecting column, 500 sensor, 510 sensor sensitive unit, 600 control main board. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below. Figures 1 to 3 An embodiment of the present invention provides an underwater sensor, comprising a sealed cabin 100, a sensor transport mechanism 200, and a push mechanism 300. The sealed cabin 100 is provided with at least one sensor channel 121, which connects the interior of the sealed cabin 100 with the exterior. The sensor transport mechanism 200 is disposed within the sealed cabin 100 and stores a plurality of sensors 500. The sensor transport mechanism 200 is configured to transport the sensors 500 one by one to the sensor channel 121, such that the positions of the sensors 500 transported to the sensor channel 121 are aligned with the sensor channel 121. The push mechanism 300 is disposed within the sealed cabin 100, on one side of the sensor transport mechanism 200, and is configured to push the sensors 500 on the sensor transport mechanism 200 into the sensor channel 121 and push the old sensors 500 in the sensor channel 121 out of the sensor channel 121, thereby completing the in-situ replacement of the sensors 500. A sealing structure 122 is provided between the sensor channel 121 and the sensor 500. The sealing structure 122 can be provided on one of the sensor channel 121 and the sensor 500, or on both. The sensor 500 located in the sensor channel 121 can be liquid-tightly sealed from the sensor channel 121 by the sealing structure 122. It will be appreciated that the sensor 500 can consist solely of the sensor sensitive unit 510 or of the sensor sensitive unit 510 and some supporting and electrical connection structures.

[0026] The underwater sensor of the present embodiment is moved one by one to the sensor channel 121 by the sensor transport mechanism 200, so that the pushing mechanism 300 can push the sensor 500 on the sensor transport mechanism 200 into the sensor channel 121 and push the old sensor 500 in the sensor channel 121 out of the sensor channel 121, so that the sensor sensitive unit 510 of the new sensor 500 contacts the liquid outside the sealed chamber 100, thereby collecting water quality parameters such as the oxygen content in the liquid. Because the sensors 500 are transported horizontally one by one to the sensor channel 121 by the sensor transport mechanism 200, there is no need to store the sensors 500 end-to-end in the sealed chamber 100. This increases the number of larger sensors 500 that can be stored in the underwater sensor, while also preventing the sealed chamber 100 from being too long and thus insufficient in strength and susceptible to damage. It can also prevent the sensor 500 located at the rear from being worn out during the replacement process due to the long stroke, thereby affecting the performance of the sensor 500, and reduce the number of sensors 500 pushed by the pushing mechanism 300 during each replacement process, thereby avoiding jamming during the replacement process of the sensor 500 and improving the reliability of the sensor 500 replacement process.

[0027] It is understood that the sensor 500 can communicate with the outside world via wired or wireless means (network signals, optical signals, etc.). When using a wired method, a first electrical connection structure is required to be provided on a structure that contacts the sensor 500, such as the sidewall of the sensor channel 121 or the push plate or push rod in the push mechanism 300 that contacts the sensor 500. Accordingly, a second electrical connection structure is provided on the outer surface of the sensor 500. The sensor sensitive unit 510 of the sensor 500 is electrically connected to the second electrical connection structure. The sensor 500 within the sensor channel 121 is electrically connected to the outside world through the second electrical connection structure contacting the first electrical connection structure.

[0028] It is understood that the sensor transport mechanism 200 can be composed of a storage structure that can store multiple sensors 500 and a driving device. The storage structure can be a rotating bracket with multiple sensor 500 accommodating parts, a bullet chain or a ring-shaped transmission track, etc. The driving device can be a combination of a motor, a motor and a sprocket, or a motor and a conveyor belt. Figure 4 and Figure 5In this embodiment, the sensor transport mechanism 200 includes a rotating bracket 210 and a rotating drive mechanism 220. In this embodiment, the rotating drive mechanism 220 includes a rotating drive motor. The output shaft of the rotating drive motor is connected to the rotating shaft of the rotating bracket 210. The rotating bracket 210 is rotated by the rotating drive motor and is arranged in the sealed cabin. The rotating bracket 210 is a circular bracket with multiple sensor slots distributed at equal intervals on the edge. The sensor 500 can be just stuck in the sensor slot. Figure 1 and Figure 3 In this embodiment, the sealed chamber 100 is a cylindrical structure consisting of an upper cover 120, a cylindrical main body 110, and a lower cover 130. The main body 110 is open at both ends to facilitate installation of the sensor transport mechanism 200 and the push mechanism 300. The upper cover 120 and lower cover 130 are detachably mounted on either end of the main body 110. A sensor channel 121 is located at the center of the upper cover 120. The rotating bracket 210 is positioned adjacent to the upper cover 120, and the rotation path of the sensor 500 passes through the center of the upper cover 120. Each time a sensor 500 is replaced, the rotating bracket 210 is rotated by a predetermined angle through the rotation drive mechanism 220 to align the new sensor 500 on the rotating bracket 210 with the sensor channel 121. It should be understood that the sensor slot requires that a portion of the sensor 500 be accessible to the outside to allow the push mechanism 300 to contact and push the sensor 500 within the sensor slot. The sensor slot can be through-connected at both ends, so that the pushing mechanism 300 can be extended from the bottom of the sensor slot into the sensor slot to push out the sensor 500 in the sensor slot; or as shown in this embodiment, refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 The sensor slot has an opening at one end facing away from the rotation center of the rotating bracket 210. The portion of the sensor within the sensor slot is exposed through the opening, and the pushing mechanism 300 pushes the portion of the sensor 500 exposed in the opening to push the sensor 500. It will be appreciated that each sensor slot may contain only one sensor 500, or two or three sensors may be arranged end-to-end to further increase the number of sensors 500 that can be accommodated.

[0029] It is understood that the pushing mechanism 300 includes a pushing member and a pushing drive mechanism. The pushing member can reciprocate in the direction of the sensor channel 121 under the drive of the pushing drive mechanism. The pushing drive mechanism drives the pushing member to move outward to push the sensor 500 outward. Since the pushing drive mechanism needs to repeatedly push the sensor 500 in each sensor slot, the pushing drive mechanism needs to be a resettable linear drive mechanism 350, such as a linear motor or a combination of a motor and a screw pair 310. Figure 4 and Figure 5In this embodiment, the pushing member is a pushing plate 330, and the pushing drive mechanism includes a pushing motor 340, a screw assembly 310, and a guide rail 320. The screw assembly 310 and the guide rail 320 are respectively arranged on both sides of the rotating bracket 210, and the directions of the screw assembly 310 and the guide rail 320 are parallel to the direction of the sensor channel 121. The two ends of the pushing plate 330 are respectively connected to the screw nut on the screw assembly 310 and the slider on the guide rail 320. The pushing plate 330 is aligned with the center of the upper cover 120, so that when the pushing plate 330 is pushed outward, it will contact the exposed portion of the sensor 500 in the sensor slot aligned with the sensor channel 121, thereby pushing the sensor 500 from the sensor slot into the sensor channel 121. It is understood that the output shaft of the push motor 340 can be directly connected to the screw of the screw pair 310, or can be connected to the screw of the screw pair 310 through a transmission mechanism 350, and the transmission mechanism 350 can be a gear set or a synchronous pulley mechanism. Figure 2 In this embodiment, the transmission mechanism 350 includes an input gear and an output gear. The input gear is connected to the output shaft of the push motor 340, and the output gear is connected to the lead screw of the lead screw assembly 310. The output gear and the input gear mesh. The number of teeth on the output gear is preferably greater than that on the input gear to increase the gear ratio of the gear set and amplify the output torque of the push motor 340.

[0030] It is understood that the sensor transport mechanism 200 and the push mechanism 300 can be controlled by a controller provided in the sealed cabin 100, or can be connected to an external controller via a wired or wireless method and remotely controlled by the external controller. The data detected by the sensor 500 can also be transmitted to the outside via a wired or wireless method. Figure 1 and Figure 2 In this embodiment, a watertight joint 131 is provided on the lower cover 130, a control mainboard 600 is provided in the sealed cabin 100, and a control circuit is provided on the control mainboard 600. The sensor 500, the rotation drive motor, and the push motor 340 are all electrically connected to the control mainboard 600 and controlled by the control mainboard 600. The control mainboard 600 is connected to the watertight joint 131 and is electrically connected to an external upper system through the watertight joint 131. It receives power from an external power supply and transmits detection signals from the sensor 500 to the upper system.

[0031] Reference Figures 2 to 5In this embodiment, the conveyor transport mechanism and the push mechanism 300 are fixedly mounted within the sealed cabin 100 via a mounting bracket 400. The mounting bracket 400 includes a drive unit fixing plate 410 and a track fixing plate 420. The drive unit fixing plate 410 is mounted to the lower cover 130 via a plurality of connecting posts 430. The control main board 600 is disposed between the drive unit fixing plate 410 and the lower cover 130. The rotary drive mechanism 220 and the push motor 340 are both disposed on the upper surface of the drive unit fixing plate 410, and the transmission mechanism 350 is disposed on the lower surface of the drive unit fixing plate 410. The ends of the lead screw assembly 310 and the guide rail 320 are connected to the drive unit fixing plate 410 and the track fixing plate 420, respectively. The track fixing plate 420 should be provided with a through hole for the sensor 500 to pass through.

[0032] Reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the sealing structure 122 comprises two sealing rings disposed on the inner sidewalls of the sensor channel 121. When the sensor 500 is inserted into the sensor channel 121, the outer sidewalls of the sensor 500 compress the sealing rings, forming a liquid-tight seal with the sensor channel 121. The two sealing rings ensure that during sensor 500 replacement, the outer sidewall of at least one of the old and new sensors 500 always maintains contact with the sealing rings, forming a liquid-tight seal. It should be understood that the first electrical connection structure should be disposed inside the two sealing rings to prevent the electrical connection structure of the sensor 500 from coming into contact with external liquids before being removed from the sealed chamber 100.

[0033] It can be understood that the first electrical connection structure and the second electrical connection structure can be conductive springs, metal contacts or conductive rings, etc. The specific implementation methods can refer to the public patent with application number CN202111270617.1, which will not be repeated here.

[0034] It should be noted that in the description of the present invention, if there are any descriptions of directions, such as up, down, front, back, left, right, etc., the directions or positional relationships indicated are all based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed or operated in a specific direction, and cannot be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

[0035] In the description of this utility model, "several" means one or more, "more" means two or more, "greater than," "less than," and "exceed" are understood to exclude the number itself, while "above," "below," and "within" are understood to include the number itself. If there are descriptions of "first," "second," and so on, these are used solely to distinguish technical features and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance, or implicitly specifying the number of the indicated technical features, or implicitly specifying the order of the indicated technical features.

[0036] In the description of the present invention, unless otherwise clearly defined, terms such as setting, installing, and connecting should be understood in a broad sense, and technicians in the relevant technical field can reasonably determine the specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention based on the specific content of the technical solution.

[0037] The above-mentioned embodiments are only preferred embodiments of the present invention and cannot be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention. Any non-substantial changes and replacements made by technicians in this field on the basis of the present invention fall within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

Claims

1. An underwater sensor, characterized in that: include: A sealed cabin (100), wherein at least one sensor channel (121) is provided on the sealed cabin (100), and the sensor channel (121) connects the interior of the sealed cabin (100) with the exterior; A sensor transport mechanism (200) is provided in the sealed cabin (100), storing a plurality of sensors (500) and used for transporting the sensors (500) one by one to the sensor channel (121); a pushing mechanism (300) disposed in the sealed cabin (100) and on one side of the sensor transport mechanism (200), for pushing the sensor (500) on the sensor transport mechanism (200) into the sensor channel (121), and for pushing the old sensor (500) in the sensor channel (121) out of the sensor channel (121); A sealing structure (122) is provided on the sensor channel (121) and / or the sensor (500), and the sensor (500) in the sensor channel (121) liquid-seales the sensor channel (121).

2. The underwater sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that A first electrical connection structure is provided on the side wall of the sensor channel (121) and / or the pushing mechanism (300), the sensor (500) includes a sensor sensitive unit (510), and a second electrical connection structure is provided on the outer surface of the sensor (500), the sensor sensitive unit (510) is electrically connected to the second electrical connection structure, and the sensor (500) in the sensor channel (121) is electrically connected to the first electrical connection structure through the second electrical connection structure.

3. The underwater sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that The sensor transport mechanism (200) comprises a rotating bracket (210) and a rotating drive mechanism (220). The rotating bracket (210) is rotatably arranged in the sealed cabin (100). A plurality of sensor card slots for storing the sensors (500) are arranged on the edge of the rotating bracket (210). The rotating drive mechanism (220) is used to drive the rotating bracket (210) to rotate so that each of the sensor card slots on the rotating bracket (210) is aligned with the sensor channel (121) one by one.

4. The underwater sensor according to claim 3, characterized in that An opening is provided at one end of the sensor slot that is away from the rotation center of the rotating bracket (210), and a portion of the sensor (500) in the sensor slot is exposed from the sensor slot.

5. The underwater sensor according to claim 1, characterized in that The pushing mechanism (300) comprises a pushing member and a pushing drive mechanism. The pushing member is slidably arranged in the sealed cabin (100). The pushing member can reciprocate in the direction of the sensor channel (121) under the drive of the pushing drive mechanism.

6. The underwater sensor according to claim 5, characterized in that: The pushing mechanism (300) includes a pushing plate (330), a pushing motor (340), a screw pair (310) and a guide rail (320), wherein the directions of the screw pair (310) and the guide rail (320) are parallel to the direction of the sensor channel (121), one end of the pushing plate (330) is connected to the slider on the guide rail (320), and the other end of the pushing plate (330) is connected to the screw nut on the screw pair (310), and the pushing motor (340) is connected to the screw in the screw pair (310) by transmission, and when the pushing motor (340) drives the pushing plate (330) to move along the guide rail (320) toward the sensor channel (121), the pushing plate (330) pushes the sensor (500) by contacting the portion of the sensor (500) exposed in the sensor slot.

7. The underwater sensor according to claim 6, characterized in that: The push motor (340) is connected to the screw in the screw pair (310) through a transmission mechanism (350), and the transmission mechanism (350) includes a gear set, the input gear in the gear set is connected to the output shaft of the push motor (340), and the output gear in the gear set is connected to the screw in the screw pair (310).

8. The underwater sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that: The sealing structure (122) comprises two sealing rings arranged on the inner side wall of the sensor channel (121), and the first electrical connection structure is arranged on the inner sides of the two sealing rings.

9. The underwater sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that: A watertight joint (131) is provided on the sealed cabin (100), and the watertight joint (131) is electrically connected to the first electrical connection structure, the sensor transport mechanism (200), and the pushing mechanism (300).

10. The underwater sensor according to claim 2, characterized in that: It also includes a control mainboard (600), the control mainboard (600) being arranged in the sealed cabin (100), and the first electrical connection structure, the sensor transport mechanism (200) and the pushing mechanism (300) are all electrically connected to the control mainboard (600).

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