Propeller protection frame, propeller and underwater vehicle

Abstract

The utility model discloses a propeller protection frame, a propeller with the protection frame and an underwater vehicle. The propeller protection frame comprises at least two protection supports, each protection support comprises an arc-shaped protection sleeve and a protection part, the protection parts are connected to the arc-shaped protection sleeves, the arc-shaped protection sleeves on the protection supports are used for surrounding a driving body of a propeller in the circumferential direction and are connected with the driving body, and the protection parts surround the periphery of a propeller of the propeller. Through the mode, the propeller protection frame provided by the utility model can provide a protection function for the propeller, is simple in structure, and does not cause interference to the propelling performance of the propeller.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of underwater vehicles, in particular to a propeller protection frame, a propeller and an underwater vehicle. BACKGROUND

[0002] With the increasing activities of ocean exploration and development, the application range of autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) and other equipment is increasingly wide. When these vehicles perform tasks, their propulsion systems are one of the key components to ensure their normal operation.

[0003] However, in complex underwater environments, the propeller faces a variety of potential threats, such as entanglement of foreign objects, collision with hard objects or biological attachment, etc. These problems not only may cause a decrease in propulsion efficiency, but also may cause irreversible physical damage, thereby affecting the task completion ability and safety of the entire vehicle.

[0004] In order to cope with the above challenges, several solutions have been proposed in the prior art to enhance the safety and reliability of the propeller. For example, some designs use streamlined casings or special-shaped fairings to reduce the possibility of foreign object entanglement; others focus on material selection and surface treatment, aiming to reduce friction and prevent corrosion. However, these methods still cannot completely avoid all possible risk factors, especially when facing unexpected impacts or other sudden conditions, there is a lack of effective immediate protection measures.

[0005] In addition, existing protection mechanisms often have complex structure, weight increase and high manufacturing cost, etc., which limit their practical application value. Therefore, it is particularly important to develop a simple and effective protection scheme that does not affect the propulsion performance. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL

[0006] The present application mainly provides a propeller protection frame, a propeller and an underwater vehicle to solve the problem that the existing protection device on the propeller has a complex structure and affects its propulsion performance.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, one technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a propeller protection frame. The propeller protection frame comprises at least two protection supports, the protection support comprises an arc-shaped sheath and a protection piece, the protection piece is connected to the arc-shaped sheath, the arc-shaped sheath on each protection support is used to surround the driving body of the propeller in the circumferential direction and is connected, and then each protection piece surrounds the outer periphery of the propeller.

[0008] In some embodiments, the protection member comprises a connecting rod part and a propeller protection part, the connecting rod part is connected to the arc-shaped sheath, and the propeller protection part is used to cover the outer periphery of the propeller.

[0009] In some embodiments, the propeller protection part comprises a first arc-shaped rod and a second arc-shaped rod, and a support rod is connected between the first arc-shaped rod and the second arc-shaped rod, and adjacent support rods on adjacent propeller protection parts are connected.

[0010] In some embodiments, the arc-shaped sheath comprises an arc-shaped sheath plate and two adapter parts arranged at both ends of the arc-shaped sheath plate, the connecting rod part is connected to the corresponding adapter part, and adjacent adapter parts on adjacent arc-shaped sheaths are connected.

[0011] In some embodiments, the two adapter parts comprise a first adapter part and a second adapter part, the first adapter part is a folded edge structure of an end edge of the arc-shaped sheath plate, and the second adapter part is a half pipe body of the other end edge of the arc-shaped sheath plate, adjacent first adapter parts are connected by a first fastener, and adjacent second adapter parts are connected by a second fastener.

[0012] In some embodiments, the connecting rod part comprises a first connecting rod part and a second connecting rod part, the first adapter part and the first connecting rod part are each provided with a first connecting hole, and the first connecting holes on adjacent first adapter parts and corresponding first connecting rod parts are connected by a first fastener; the second adapter part and the second connecting rod part are each provided with a second connecting hole, and the second connecting holes on adjacent second adapter parts and corresponding second connecting rod parts are connected by a second fastener.

[0013] In some embodiments, the first connecting rod part comprises a straight rod segment that is fitted to the folded edge structure, the straight rod segment is provided with the first connecting hole, and the straight rod segment is connected to the folded edge structure by the first fastener.

[0014] In some embodiments, the second connecting rod part comprises a connecting segment and a curved rod segment, the connecting segment is arranged outside the half pipe body and is parallel to the axial direction of the half pipe body, one end of the curved rod segment is connected to the middle part of the connecting segment perpendicularly, and the connecting segment is provided with the second connecting hole.

[0015] To solve the above technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide a propeller. The propeller comprises a driving body, a propeller connected with the driving body, and a propeller protection frame as described above. Each of the arc-shaped sheaths is circumferentially arranged outside the driving body and connected with each other. Each of the protective members is circumferentially arranged outside the propeller.

[0016] To solve the above technical problems, another technical solution adopted by the present application is to provide an underwater vehicle. The underwater vehicle comprises a vehicle body and a propeller as described above. The propeller is connected with the vehicle body.

[0017] The beneficial effects of the present application are that, unlike the prior art, the present application discloses a propeller protection frame, a propeller, and an underwater vehicle. The present application proposes a protection frame suitable for the propeller of an underwater vehicle, aiming to provide an additional physical barrier while minimizing the interference with the original propeller system and maintaining its good hydrodynamic characteristics. At the same time, the propeller protection frame is composed of at least two protective supports and circumferentially arranged outside the driving body and the propeller. The structure is simple and easy to assemble. The protective members on the propeller protection frame are designed to be lightweight and have a large number of hollow spaces at the water inlet and outlet of the propeller, which greatly reduces the interference with the propelling performance. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the prior art, the drawings needed to be used in the embodiments or the prior art description will be briefly introduced. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. Those skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without creative labor.

[0019] Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the underwater vehicle provided by the present application;

[0020] Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of the propeller in the underwater vehicle as shown in Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 3 is a structural schematic diagram of the propeller protection frame in the propeller as shown in Figure 1 ; DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] With reference to the drawings of the embodiments of the present application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, but not all the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art without creative work fall within the protection scope of the present application.

[0023] The terms "first", "second", "third" in the embodiments of the present application are only used for description purpose, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined with "first", "second", "third" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "a plurality of" is at least two, for example, two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly and specifically limited. In addition, the terms "include" and "have" and any variations thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product or device including a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but can optionally include steps or units not listed, or can optionally include other steps or units inherent to the process, method, product or device.

[0024] In this document, reference to "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment can be included in at least one embodiment of the application. The appearance of the phrase in various places in the specification is not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment, nor is it necessarily referring to a particular embodiment independently of all other embodiments. It will be explicitly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0025] The present application provides an underwater vehicle 300, referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of an embodiment of the underwater vehicle provided by the present application, Figure 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a propeller in the underwater vehicle as shown in Figure 1 .

[0026] The underwater vehicle 300 includes a vehicle body 310 and a propeller 200, and the propeller 200 is connected to the vehicle body 310, wherein a plurality of groups of propellers 200 can be arranged on the vehicle body 310.

[0027] The vehicle body 310 is the main mechanism of the underwater vehicle 300, and in addition to including the control terminal of the underwater vehicle 300, it also includes specific behavior functions of the underwater vehicle 300; for example, it has related components such as safety search and rescue, pipeline maintenance, and energy exploration; for example, it can also have at least one of a camera, a camera, and a light observation component; and it can also be provided with at least one of a manipulator, a cutter, and a cleaner. In this embodiment, the behavior functions and functional components included in the underwater vehicle 300 are not specifically limited.

[0028] The propeller 200 is a device that converts other forms of energy into mechanical energy, and can generate a propulsive force to move the underwater vehicle 300 by rotating the blades.

[0029] As shown in Figure 2 , the propeller 200 includes a driving body 210, a propeller 220 connected to the driving body 210, and a propeller protection frame 100 connected to the driving body 210 and used to protect the driving body 210 and the propeller 220 of the propeller 200.

[0030] For reference, Figure 2 and Figure 3 , wherein Figure 3 is a structural diagram of the propeller protection frame in the propeller as shown in Figure 1 .

[0031] Specifically, the propeller protection frame 100 includes at least two protective supports 10, the protective support 10 includes an arc-shaped sheath 12 and a protective piece 14, the protective piece 14 is connected to the arc-shaped sheath 12, and the arc-shaped sheaths 12 on each protective support 10 are used to circumferentially surround the driving body 210 of the propeller 200 and are connected, and each protective piece 14 is circumferentially surrounded on the outside of the propeller 220 of the propeller 200.

[0032] In this embodiment, the propeller protection frame 100 includes two protective supports 10, and the two protective supports 10 are connected and circumferentially surrounded on the driving body 210 and the propeller 220 to protect the driving body 210 and the propeller 220 of the propeller 200, reduce the risk of damage to the driving body 210 and the propeller 220 caused by collision, and enhance the ability to navigate in the underwater environment.

[0033] Alternatively, the propeller protection frame 100 can also be composed of three or four protective supports 10, and the specific number can be determined according to the shape and size of the driving body 210 and the propeller 220, and this application does not specifically limit it.

[0034] The protective bracket 10 comprises an arc-shaped sheath 12 and a protective piece 14, wherein the arc-shaped sheaths 12 of each protective bracket 10 are circumferentially arranged outside the driving body 210 and connected, the arc-shaped sheaths 12 can protect the driving body 210, and each protective piece 14 is circumferentially arranged outside the propeller 220 of the propeller 200, and the protective piece 14 can protect the propeller 220.

[0035] In the mounted state, the arc-shaped sheaths 12 on each protective bracket 10 can jointly circumferentially surround the driving body 210 to protect the driving body 210, and also serve as the connection position of the propeller protective frame 100. The protective piece 14 is a frame structure, each protective piece 14 circumferentially surrounds the propeller 220 to form a protective frame, which not only protects the propeller 220, but also realizes a lightweight structure in the form of a frame, and a large number of hollow spaces on the protective piece 14 also do not interfere with the drainage capacity of the propeller 220.

[0036] In the embodiment, the protective piece 14 comprises a connecting rod part 140 and a propeller protection part 142 connected to each other, the connecting rod part 140 is connected to the arc-shaped sheath 12, and the propeller protection part 142 is used to cover the outer periphery of the propeller 220.

[0037] The propeller protection part 142 and the arc-shaped sheath 12 are connected through the connecting rod part 140, for example, the number of the connecting rod part 140 is two and is connected to both ends of the propeller protection part 142, and because the connecting rod part 140 is a rod structure, a large space is left between the two connecting rod parts 140 to allow the propeller 220 to intake or discharge water, and also facilitates the lightweight of the protective piece 14; the propeller protection part 142 is located outside the propeller 220 to protect the circumferential side of the propeller 220 and does not affect the water intake or discharge at the tail end of the propeller 220.

[0038] Alternatively, the number of the connecting rod part 140 can also be one, which can be connected to the middle of the propeller protection part 142.

[0039] Specifically, the propeller protection part 142 comprises a first arc-shaped rod 143 and a second arc-shaped rod 144 spaced apart, and a support rod 145 connected between the first arc-shaped rod 143 and the second arc-shaped rod 144, and adjacent support rods 145 on two adjacent propeller protection parts 142 are connected.

[0040] The number of the support rod 145 is multiple, and the number can be set based on the circumferential dimension of the propeller protection part 142 to ensure that the propeller protection part 142 has sufficient strength to protect the propeller 220.

[0041] The first arc-shaped rod 143 and the second arc-shaped rod 144 are spaced apart and correspond to the thickness dimension of the propeller 220, and both can cover the upper and lower edges of the propeller 220.

[0042] In the embodiment, the number of the support rods 145 is three, two of which are connected to the two ends of the first and second arc-shaped rods 143 and 144 respectively, and one of which is connected to the middle of the first and second arc-shaped rods 143 and 144, so as to form a light-weight protective structure and thus not to affect the performance of the propeller 200.

[0043] The adjacent support rods 145 on the two propeller protection parts 142 can be connected by fasteners, for example, the support rods 145 at the position are provided with connecting holes, and screws or bolts can be used to connect the two support rods 145; or, a clamp is used to connect the adjacent two support rods 145.

[0044] Further, the arc-shaped protective sleeve 12 includes an arc-shaped protective plate 120 and two adapter parts 122 arranged at the two ends of the arc-shaped protective plate 120, the link rod part 140 is connected to the corresponding adapter part 122, and the adjacent adapter parts 122 on the adjacent two arc-shaped protective sleeves 12 are connected. In some embodiments, a hollow region can also be formed on the arc-shaped protective plate 120 to reduce the overall weight.

[0045] The adapter part 122 can be formed by folding the end of the arc-shaped protective plate 120, or can be a plate-shaped structure or a cylindrical structure connected to the end of the arc-shaped protective plate 120.

[0046] The link rod part 140 can be welded to the corresponding adapter part 122, so that the arc-shaped protective sleeve 12 and the protective part 14 form an integrated structure.

[0047] In the embodiment, the arc-shaped protective sleeve 12 and the protective part 14 are two independent components, which are connected together by a connecting part, which can be a fastener or a clamp, etc. Further, the connecting part can also connect the adapter parts 122 on the adjacent two arc-shaped protective sleeves 12 together.

[0048] In some embodiments, the structures of the two adapter parts 122 can be the same, for example, both being folding structures; in other embodiments, the structures of the adapter parts 122 at the two ends of the arc-shaped protective plate 120 can also be different.

[0049] In the embodiment, the structures of the adapter parts 122 at the two ends of the arc-shaped protective plate 120 are different. Specifically, the two adapter parts 122 include a first adapter part 123 and a second adapter part 124, the first adapter part 123 is a folding structure of an edge of one end of the arc-shaped protective plate 120, and the second adapter part 124 is a half pipe body of an edge of the other end of the arc-shaped protective plate 120. Between the adjacent two arc-shaped protective sleeves 12, the adjacent two first adapter parts 123 are connected by a first fastener, and the adjacent two second adapter parts 124 are connected by a second fastener.

[0050] The first adapter 123 is a folded edge structure of one end edge of the arc-shaped protective plate 120, which is easy to make and shape, and can be adapted from the plate material for making the arc-shaped protective plate 120; the second adapter 124 is a half pipe body, two half pipe bodies can form a tubular structure, two adjacent second adapters 124 are connected, so that the structure of the half pipe body can prevent deformation caused by the use of fasteners.

[0051] In the embodiment, the guard 14 has two different structure connecting rods 140, including a first connecting rod 146 and a second connecting rod 147, the first adapter 123 and the first connecting rod 146 are both provided with first connecting holes, and the first connecting holes on the two adjacent first adapters 123 and the corresponding first connecting rods 146 are connected by first fasteners; the second adapter 124 and the second connecting rod 147 are both provided with second connecting holes, and the second connecting holes on the two adjacent second adapters 124 and the corresponding second connecting rods 147 are connected by second fasteners.

[0052] In other words, the guard 14 and the arc-shaped protective sleeve 12 are two independent components, the connecting holes can be arranged on the corresponding adapters 122 and connecting rods 140, and the fasteners are used to connect the two adjacent adapters 122 and connecting rods 140, by arranging the independent guard 14 and the arc-shaped protective sleeve 12, the storage before assembly is facilitated, the requirement for storage space is reduced, and the assembly is simple.

[0053] The first connecting rod 146 includes a straight rod segment 148 which is attached to the folded edge structure of the first adapter 123, the straight rod segment 148 is provided with a first connecting hole, and the straight rod segment 148 is connected to the folded edge structure by the first fastener.

[0054] The structure of the straight rod segment 148 is equivalent to the size of the folded edge structure of the first adapter 123, and the two can be superimposed, so that the straight rod segment 148 can strengthen the folded edge structure.

[0055] The second connecting rod 147 includes a connecting segment 1471 and a curved rod segment 1472, the connecting segment 1471 is attached to the outside of the half pipe body and parallel to the axial direction of the half pipe body, the connecting segment 1471 is provided with second connecting holes, so that the two adjacent connecting segments 1471 and the second adapters 124 are connected by the fasteners, and the half pipe body structure of the second adapter 124 is used to prevent deformation; one end of the curved rod segment 1472 is perpendicularly connected to the middle part of the connecting segment 1471.

[0056] Different from the prior art, the application discloses an underwater vehicle, a propeller and a propeller protection frame thereof. The application proposes a propeller protection frame suitable for the propeller on the underwater vehicle, aiming to provide an additional physical barrier while minimizing the interference with the original propeller system and maintaining its good hydrodynamic characteristics. Meanwhile, the propeller protection frame is composed of at least two protective supports and encloses the driving body and the outer periphery of the propeller, has a simple structure and is easy to assemble. The protective member on the propeller protection frame adopts a lightweight design and has a large number of hollow spaces at the water inlet and outlet of the propeller, greatly reducing the interference with the propelling performance.

[0057] The above is only an embodiment of the application, and does not limit the patent scope of the application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation using the content of the specification and drawings, or direct or indirect application in other related technical fields, is also included in the patent protection scope of the application.

Claims

1. A propeller guard characterized in that, The protective bracket comprises at least two protective brackets, each of which comprises an arc-shaped sheath and a protective piece connected to the arc-shaped sheath, and the arc-shaped sheaths on each of the protective brackets are arranged circumferentially around the driving body of the propeller and connected to each other, and the protective pieces are arranged circumferentially around the outer periphery of the propeller.

2. The propeller protection cage of claim 1, wherein, The protective piece comprises a connecting rod part and a propeller protection part connected to each other, the connecting rod part is connected to the arc-shaped sheath, and the propeller protection part is arranged around the outer periphery of the propeller.

3. The propeller protection cage of claim 2, wherein, The propeller protection part comprises a first arc-shaped rod and a second arc-shaped rod spaced apart from each other, and a support rod connected between the first arc-shaped rod and the second arc-shaped rod, and adjacent support rods on adjacent propeller protection parts are connected to each other.

4. The propeller protection cage of claim 2, wherein, The arc-shaped sheath comprises an arc-shaped sheath plate and two adapter parts arranged at both ends of the arc-shaped sheath plate, the connecting rod part is connected to the corresponding adapter part, and adjacent adapter parts on adjacent arc-shaped sheaths are connected to each other.

5. The propeller protection cage of claim 4, wherein, The two adapter parts comprise a first adapter part and a second adapter part, the first adapter part is a folded edge structure at one end edge of the arc-shaped sheath plate, and the second adapter part is a half pipe body at the other end edge of the arc-shaped sheath plate, adjacent first adapter parts are connected by a first fastener, and adjacent second adapter parts are connected by a second fastener.

6. The propeller protection cage of claim 5, wherein, The connecting rod part comprises a first connecting rod part and a second connecting rod part, the first adapter part and the first connecting rod part are provided with a first connecting hole, and the first connecting holes on adjacent first adapter parts and corresponding first connecting rod parts are connected by a first fastener; the second adapter part and the second connecting rod part are provided with a second connecting hole, and the second connecting holes on adjacent second adapter parts and corresponding second connecting rod parts are connected by a second fastener.

7. The propeller protection cage of claim 6, wherein, The first connecting rod part comprises a straight rod segment matched with the folded edge structure, and the straight rod segment is provided with the first connecting hole and connected to the folded edge structure by the first fastener.

8. The propeller guard of claim 6, wherein, The second connecting rod part comprises a connecting segment and a curved rod segment, the connecting segment is arranged outside the half pipe body and parallel to the axial direction of the half pipe body, one end of the curved rod segment is connected to the middle part of the connecting segment, and the connecting segment is provided with the second connecting hole.

9. A propeller characterized by The propeller comprises a driving body, a propeller connected to the driving body, and a propeller protection bracket according to any one of claims 1 to 8, each of the arc-shaped sheaths is arranged circumferentially around the outside of the driving body and connected to each other, and each of the protective pieces is arranged circumferentially around the outer periphery of the propeller.

10. An underwater vehicle, characterized by The underwater vehicle comprises a vehicle body and a propeller according to claim 9, and the propeller is connected to the vehicle body.

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