An adaptive enteromorpha detection device for unmanned ship

Abstract

The utility model discloses a kind of self-adapting enteromorpha detection devices for unmanned ship, including unmanned ship body, image acquisition equipment is arranged on unmanned ship body, image acquisition equipment includes several cameras and automatic telescopic rod, and movable end of automatic telescopic rod is provided with camera along circumferential array;Power supply is arranged in unmanned ship body, and power supply is respectively connected with data storage equipment, data processing equipment, relay and motor drive module, the camera is connected with data storage equipment, data storage equipment is connected with data processing equipment, relay is connected with camera, and motor drive module is connected with the direct current motor of automatic telescopic rod;The utility model adjusts the height of camera by automatic telescopic rod, and enhances the flexibility of acquisition equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of monitoring and identification technology, specifically to an adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels. Background Technology

[0002] Ulva prolifera is a common type of seaweed, and its excessive proliferation can damage marine ecosystems. In recent years, large-scale floating algae outbreaks have frequently occurred in coastal areas of my country, with Ulva prolifera being the main type of floating algae. Ulva prolifera outbreaks lead to the deterioration of the marine ecological environment and impact economic sectors such as fisheries, marine transportation, and marine tourism in coastal China, causing severe economic losses. Therefore, it is necessary to identify and monitor the distribution of Ulva prolifera in coastal areas of China in real time to provide a reliable basis for analyzing and preventing Ulva prolifera outbreaks.

[0003] Monitoring and identifying *Ulva prolifera* is a crucial task for environmental protection. Traditional methods rely primarily on manual patrols, which are inefficient and labor-intensive. With the development of unmanned surface vessel (USV) technology, monitoring *Ulva prolifera* has become possible. Intelligent recognition hardware systems using cameras can monitor, identify, and track *Ulva prolifera*, allowing for real-time monitoring of its movement. This is significant for understanding the ecological balance, species distribution, and ecosystem changes in aquatic areas. However, existing USV image acquisition cameras have fixed positions and orientations, lacking height adjustment capabilities, and thus cannot achieve comprehensive image data acquisition. Utility Model Content

[0004] To address the shortcomings of existing technologies, this invention provides an adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels.

[0005] This utility model is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0006] An adaptive algae detection device for unmanned surface vessels (USVs) includes an USV body, an image acquisition device mounted on the USV body, the image acquisition device including several cameras and an automatic telescopic rod, with cameras arranged in a circumferential array at the movable end of the automatic telescopic rod; a power supply is installed inside the USV body, the power supply being connected to a data storage device, a data processing device, a relay, and a motor drive module, the cameras being connected to the data storage device, the data storage device being connected to the data processing device, the relay being connected to the cameras, and the motor drive module being connected to the DC motor of the automatic telescopic rod.

[0007] Preferably, the camera is arranged in a circumferential array at the end of the automatic telescopic rod via a base bracket.

[0008] Preferably, a gimbal stabilizer is provided at the end of the automatic telescopic pole, and the camera is arranged in a circumferential array on the gimbal stabilizer.

[0009] Preferably, the number of cameras is four.

[0010] Preferably, the bottom of the automatic telescopic pole is fixed to the unmanned vessel body via a fixed base.

[0011] Preferably, the outer wall of the automatic telescopic rod is provided with an air guide groove, and a windproof bracket is provided between the outer wall of the automatic telescopic rod and the fixed base.

[0012] Preferably, the data storage device is provided with several RJ45 interfaces, and the data processing device and the camera are respectively connected to the RJ45 interfaces of the data storage device via network cables; the data storage device is also provided with HDMI interface and VGA interface.

[0013] Preferably, the data processing device includes a central processing unit (CPU), and the CPU's GPIO serial port is connected to the camera via a relay.

[0014] Preferably, the relay is provided with a DC interface, an IN interface, a power interface, and a common interface; the GPIO serial port of the central processing unit is connected to the DC interface and the IN interface on the relay, the power interface of the relay is connected to the power supply device, the common interface of the relay is connected to the positive terminal of the camera power cable, and the negative terminal of the camera power cable is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply.

[0015] Preferably, the unmanned vessel body is equipped with a chassis, and the power supply, data storage device, data processing device, relay and motor drive module are all housed inside the chassis.

[0016] The beneficial effects of this utility model are reflected in:

[0017] 1. This utility model can achieve 360-degree image acquisition by using multiple cameras arranged circumferentially. Furthermore, the cameras are mounted on telescopic poles and their height can be adjusted, which solves the problems of limited shooting range and fixed shooting position of existing cameras and enhances the flexibility of image acquisition equipment.

[0018] 2. To improve the angle adaptability and automation of Ulva prolifera image acquisition and effectively prevent image overexposure caused by sunlight reflection from the sea surface, this utility model adopts an automatic telescopic rod structure. One end is fixed to the unmanned vessel body, and the other end is connected to the camera bracket, which can be raised and lowered under the action of control signals. By flexibly adjusting the camera height, areas with strong light reflection from the sea surface are effectively avoided, ensuring image quality, improving the environmental adaptability of the image acquisition system, reducing the frequency of manual intervention, and making it suitable for long-term unattended intelligent monitoring tasks of Ulva prolifera in marine areas. Attached Figure Description

[0019] To more clearly illustrate the specific embodiments of this utility model or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the specific embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. In all the drawings, similar elements or parts are generally identified by similar reference numerals. In the drawings, the elements or parts are not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0020] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model.

[0021] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the automatic telescopic rod of this utility model.

[0022] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the fixed base of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit pins of the motor drive module of this utility model.

[0024] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the power supply structure of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the data storage device of this utility model.

[0026] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the data processing device of this utility model.

[0027] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the relay of this utility model.

[0028] In the diagram: 1. Unmanned surface vessel body; 2. Fixed base; 201. Fixing screw; 202. Nut; 3. Air guide duct; 4. Automatic telescopic mast; 401. Gimbal stabilizer; 402. Push rod; 403. Limiter; 404. Threaded rod; 405. Brake; 406. First gear; 407. Second gear; 408. Third gear; 409. DC motor; 410. Motor power positive terminal; 411. Motor power negative terminal; 5. Windproof bracket; 6. Chassis; 7. Power supply; 701. Power supply positive terminal; 702. Power supply negative terminal; 8. Data storage device; 801. USB 3.0 interface; 802. HDMI interface; 803. VGA interface; 804. RJ45 interface; 805. Power interface; 9. Data processing device; 901. Power interface; 902. RJ45 interface; 903. USB 3.2 interface; 904. HDMI interface; 905, Type-C interface; 906, GPIO serial port; 10, Relay; 1001, Normally open interface; 1002, Common interface; 1003, Normally closed interface; 1004, DC+ interface; 1005, DC- interface; 1006, IN interface; 11, Camera; 12, Base bracket; 13, Motor drive module; 1301, VCC module power supply; 1302, GND ground; 1303, RPWM; 1304, LPWM; 1305, R_EN right bridge enable; 1306, L_EN left bridge enable; 1307, B+ power supply positive terminal; 1308, B- power supply negative terminal; 1309, M+ motor positive output terminal; 1310, M- motor negative output terminal. Detailed Implementation

[0029] To make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of this utility model more apparent and understandable, the specific embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Many specific details are set forth in the following description to provide a full understanding of this utility model. However, this utility model can be implemented 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 this utility model. Therefore, this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0030] It should be noted that when a component is said to be "fixed to" another component, it can be directly attached to the other component or there may be an intervening component. When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or there may be an intervening component.

[0031] For ease of explanation, spatial relative terms such as “up,” “down,” “left,” and “right” may be used herein to describe the relationship of one element or feature shown in the figure relative to another element or feature. It should be understood that, in addition to the orientation shown in the figure, spatial terms are intended to include different orientations of the device in use or operation. For example, if the device in the figure is inverted, an element described as being “down” of other elements or features would be positioned “up” of those other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term “down” can encompass both up and down orientations.

[0032] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. The term "and / or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, this utility model proposes an adaptive seaweed monitoring device for unmanned vessels, including an unmanned vessel body 1, on which an image acquisition device, a data storage device 8 and a data processing device 9 are installed.

[0034] The image acquisition device, data storage device 8, and data processing device 9 are connected in sequence. The image acquisition device is used to acquire image data within the monitoring area, the data storage device 8 is used to store the image data acquired by the image acquisition device, and the data processing device 9 is used to read and process the image data stored in the data storage device 8.

[0035] The image acquisition device includes multiple cameras 11 and an automatic telescopic pole 4. The multiple cameras 11 are arranged circumferentially on the telescopic pole via base brackets 12. The bottom end of the telescopic pole is fixed to the unmanned vessel body 11 via a fixed base 2. As a preferred embodiment, a gimbal stabilizer 401 is provided at the end of the telescopic pole, and the cameras 11 are arranged circumferentially on the gimbal stabilizer 401 to prevent the connection from loosening when the telescopic pole moves up and down with the waves and causes angular displacement, thereby mitigating the impact of the telescopic pole's swaying on the shooting stability of the camera 11.

[0036] As a further technical solution, the image acquisition device has four cameras 11, each with 4 megapixels. These cameras are arranged circumferentially on the telescopic pole to collect video data from the front, back, left, and right sides of the unmanned vessel body 1, and can clearly collect image data within the monitoring area.

[0037] Camera 11 is a bullet camera with a focal length of 4 mm, a horizontal field of view of 88.7°, a vertical field of view of 44.7°, a diagonal field of view of 107.5°, and is equipped with a 50-meter infrared sensor. The maximum image size is 3200 × 1800. It covers almost 360 degrees of horizontal viewing angle, enabling the acquisition of clear water images under varying lighting and water quality conditions.

[0038] like Figure 3 As shown, 401 is a gimbal stabilizer, used to prevent loosening of the connection when the telescopic rod fluctuates with the waves and experiences angular displacement, thus mitigating the impact of the telescopic rod's swaying on the camera's shooting stability. 403 is a limiter, limiting the lifting range of the push rod 402 to ensure structural safety and stability and prevent over-extension. 405 is a brake, which locks the threaded rod after power failure, preventing the push rod from slipping due to gravity or load. 410 and 411 are power interfaces, supporting 24V power supply. Upon receiving a control command from the data processing device 9, the system is powered on, and the motor 409 begins to rotate. The third gear 408 is fixedly mounted on the output shaft of the motor 409, used to transmit the motor's rotational power to the second gear 407. The second gear 407, as an intermediate transition gear, meshes with the first gear 406 and the third gear 408 respectively, achieving torque and speed adjustment while simultaneously transmitting power. The first gear 406 is connected to the threaded rod 404, used to drive the threaded rod to rotate, thereby achieving the lifting movement of the push rod 402 and realizing linear displacement. By controlling the forward and reverse directions of the motor, the push rod can be raised and lowered. The automatic telescopic rod 4 is fixed on the base 2. The telescopic rod 4 has multiple air guide grooves 3 engraved on its outer wall to guide the external airflow around it. This reduces the frontal impact of wind pressure and weakens lateral disturbances. The four windproof supports 5 also provide wind resistance and shock absorption for the rod structure.

[0039] like Figure 4As shown, the BTS7960 is a high-performance full-bridge bidirectional DC motor drive module manufactured by Infineon Technologies. It is commonly used in medium and high power motor control systems and features strong driving capability and comprehensive protection functions. The VCC module power supply 1301 and GND ground 1302 of the BTS7960 motor drive module 13 are respectively connected to the logic power output pins 4VCC and 6GND of the data processing device 9. The R_EN right bridge enable 1305 and L_EN left bridge enable 1306 are also connected to pin 4VCC of the GPIO serial port 906 to provide logic power to the drive module. The RPWM 1303 control pin and LPWM 1304 control pin of the BTS7960 motor drive module are respectively connected to the PWM port 13 and GPIO port 15 of the GPIO serial port 906 of the data processing device 9 to output pulse width modulation signals to control the rotation direction and speed of the motor. The power input terminal B+ positive terminal 1307 is connected to the external power supply positive terminal 701, and the B- 1308 negative terminal is connected to the external power supply negative terminal 702 to provide the high power voltage required for motor drive. The M+ motor positive output terminal 1309 and M-... The negative output terminal 1310 of the motor is connected to the positive terminal 410 and the negative terminal 411 of the motor power supply of the DC motor 409, respectively.

[0040] The entire video surveillance hardware system for monitoring seaweed on the unmanned vessel is deployed on the unmanned vessel body 1. The video surveillance hardware system for monitoring seaweed is concentrated in the chassis 6 inside the cabin. The chassis 6 mainly consists of five parts: power supply 7, data storage device 8, data processing device 9, relay 10, and motor drive module 13.

[0041] like Figure 5 As shown, the output voltage of power supply 7 is 24V. Power supply 7 has a rectangular cube structure, with a positive power supply terminal 701 and a negative power supply terminal 702 on it, and is connected to each power module through a power supply line.

[0042] like Figure 6 As shown, the internal components of data storage device 8 consist of a Hi3520 DRQCV200 chip and an 8GB hard drive. This chip, designed and manufactured by HiSilicon, is a real-time remote standard-definition video encoding chip that supports H.264 and MPEG-4 dual-stream encoding, featuring low power consumption, high performance, and high definition. External ports include: four USB 3.0 ports 801, one HDMI port 802, one VGA port 803, one power port 805, and eight RJ45 ports 804.

[0043] The data storage device supports 24V power supply. Power supply 7's positive terminal 701 and negative terminal 702 are connected to power interface 805 via a power cable to provide power. Four cameras 11 are connected to the four RJ45 interfaces 804 of the data storage device 8 via network cables. The captured video data is stored in real time for later analysis and processing. The stored video data can be viewed on an external monitor connected via HDMI interface 802 or VGA interface 803. The data storage device 8 is connected to the data processing device 9 via network cables for data communication using the RTSP real-time data transmission protocol.

[0044] like Figure 7 As shown, the internal main control chip of data processing device 9 uses NVIDIA's Jetson AGX Xavier, with an 8-core ARM Carmel CPU, a 512-core Volta GPU, and 16GB of video memory. It boasts a peak computing power of up to 32 TOPS and a high-speed I / O performance of 750Gbps. External ports include: two USB 3.2 ports 903, one HDMI port 904, one RJ45 port 902, one power port 901, and one Type-C port 905. The USB 3.2 ports 903 and Type-C port 905 can connect to external expansion devices. The GPIO serial port 906 has 40 pins and can be externally expanded. The power port 901 connects to power supply 7 and supports 24V power. The RJ45 port 902 connects to the RJ45 port 804 of data storage device 8 via a network cable for data reading.

[0045] As a further technical solution, this system uses data processing device 9 to analyze the coverage ratio of *Ulva prolifera* in the camera's captured images in real time. When the area of ​​*Ulva prolifera* in the current frame is detected to be less than one-fifth of the entire image, the serial port 906 in data processing device 9 sends a PWM command to drive the motor to rotate forward, causing the automatic telescopic rod 4 to extend upward, raising the height of camera 11. The push rod 402 moves 20cm each time, thereby expanding the field of view of camera 11, increasing the coverage probability of *Ulva prolifera*, and improving the effectiveness of image acquisition. In addition, this system uses a strong reflective area positioning algorithm in the data processing module to detect the position and distribution trend of bright saturated areas in the image, determining whether the current position of camera 11 is in a specular reflection path. If the reflective area is located in the upper part of the image, the control system determines that the height of camera 11 should be lowered to avoid the reflection angle; if the reflection is located in the lower middle part of the image or is widely distributed, the control system prioritizes raising the height of camera 11 to expand the field of view and avoid the reflective area from a higher angle. This adaptive adjustment strategy dynamically optimizes the shooting angle according to changes in ambient brightness, effectively preventing image overexposure and improving image acquisition quality. This control logic has autonomous sensing and dynamic adjustment capabilities, enhancing the system's adaptability in unmanned environments.

[0046] like Figure 8 As shown, relay 10 has a total of 6 ports. The DC+ interface 1004 of the input section is connected to pin 2 (5V) of the GPIO serial port 906 of the data processing device 9; the DC- interface 1005 is connected to pin 6 (GND) of the GPIO serial port 906; and the IN interface 1006 is connected to pin 16 (GPIO8) of the GPIO serial port 906. The normally open interface 1001 of the output section is connected to the positive terminal 701 of the power supply 7, and the common interface 1002 is connected to the positive terminals of the power cables of the four cameras. That is, the positive terminal of the power cable of camera 11 is connected to the common interface 1002 of relay 10, and the negative terminal is connected to the negative terminal 702 of power supply 7 to complete the 24V power supply for the four cameras 11.

[0047] During seaweed monitoring, since the seaweed does not change significantly in a short period, a low-power mode can be used to reduce the power consumption of the unmanned vessel and save electricity. In this invention, the operation of the device is controlled by an onboard timer module of the data processing device 9 in low-power mode. This module includes a counter, control register, clock source, and interrupts. The onboard timer module is integrated into the system chip and is used to generate precise time intervals or periodic time triggers. The camera 11 is controlled to turn on, detect seaweed, and turn off every 5 minutes, continuously cycling through these cycles. The power supply to the camera 11 is controlled by the data processing device 9 via the GPIO serial port 906, which controls the relay 10. The relay 10 then controls the circuit connection, thereby controlling the camera 11's on and off states.

[0048] Table 1 shows the wiring method in this embodiment:

[0049]

[0050] The overall workflow of this invention is as follows: Four gun-shaped cameras 11 provide near 360° horizontal monitoring centered on the unmanned vessel 1. The data monitored by the cameras 11 is stored in a data storage device 8 via a network cable. The data storage device 8 not only stores the data but also communicates with a data processing device 9 via the RTSP real-time data transmission protocol. The data processing device 9 simultaneously receives a large amount of image data from the four cameras 11, processes and analyzes the data, detects the presence of seaweed, and uploads the information to the cloud. When seaweed is detected to be far from the unmanned vessel 1, the system transmits the information to ensure the unmanned vessel 1 continuously follows the movement of the seaweed.

[0051] When monitoring in low-power mode, after the loop starts, pin 16 GPIO8 of data processing device 9 goes high, controlling the normally open interface 1001 of relay 10 to engage. After engagement, it connects to the common interface 1002, powering on camera 11 and enabling it to acquire images. The acquired images are stored in data storage device 8 via a network cable. Data processing device 9 retrieves the images via the RTSP protocol for detection and recognition, completing the tracking of the seaweed. Then, pin 16 GPIO8 of data processing device 9 goes low, controlling the normally open interface 1001 of relay 10 to stop engaging, de-powering the camera, thus ending one loop.

[0052] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of this utility model, and not to limit it. Although the utility model has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features. Such modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this utility model, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of this utility model.

Claims

1. An adaptive algae detection device for unmanned surface vessels, comprising an unmanned surface vessel body (1), characterized in that: An image acquisition device is installed on the unmanned vessel body (1). The image acquisition device includes several cameras (11) and an automatic telescopic rod (4). The movable end of the automatic telescopic rod (4) is arranged with cameras (11) in a circular array. A power supply (7) is installed inside the unmanned vessel body (1). The power supply (7) is connected to a data storage device (8), a data processing device (9), a relay (10), and a motor drive module (13). The cameras (11) are connected to the data storage device (8), the data storage device (8) is connected to the data processing device (9), the relay (10) is connected to the camera (11), and the motor drive module (13) is connected to the DC motor (409) of the automatic telescopic rod (4).

2. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The camera (11) is arranged in a circumferential array at the end of the automatic telescopic rod (4) via a base bracket (12).

3. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The end of the automatic telescopic pole (4) is provided with a gimbal stabilizer (401), and the camera (11) is arranged in a circumferential array on the gimbal stabilizer (401).

4. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: There are 4 cameras (11).

5. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom of the automatic telescopic pole (4) is fixed to the unmanned vessel body (1) by a fixed base (2).

6. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The outer wall of the automatic telescopic rod (4) is provided with an air guide groove (3), and a windproof bracket (5) is provided between the outer wall of the automatic telescopic rod (4) and the fixed base (2).

7. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The data storage device (8) is provided with several RJ45 interfaces (804). The data processing device (9) and the camera (11) are respectively connected to the RJ45 interfaces (804) of the data storage device (8) via network cables. The data storage device (8) is also provided with an HDMI interface (802) and a VGA interface (803).

8. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The data processing device (9) includes a central processing unit, and the GPIO serial port (906) of the central processing unit is connected to the camera (11) through a relay (10).

9. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 8, characterized in that: The relay (10) is provided with a DC+ interface (1004), an IN interface (1006), a power interface and a common interface (1002); the GPIO serial port (906) of the central processing unit is connected to the DC+ interface (1004) and the IN interface (1006) on the relay (10); the power interface of the relay (10) is connected to the power supply (7); the common interface (1002) of the relay (10) is connected to the positive terminal of the power line of the camera (11); and the negative terminal of the power line of the camera (11) is connected to the negative terminal of the power supply (702).

10. The adaptive seaweed detection device for unmanned vessels as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The unmanned vessel body (1) is equipped with a chassis (6), and the power supply (7), data storage device (8), data processing device (9), relay (10) and motor drive module (13) are all located inside the chassis (6).

Images