A marine subsea biofouling cleaning robot
By using a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical leg and Mecanum wheel mobility system, combined with a coarse and fine cleaning wheel, an electromagnet and propeller adsorption balance system, and a camera and LED light recognition system, the problem of efficient cleaning of underwater biological attachment on ships has been solved, achieving intelligent and environmentally adaptable cleaning results.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- SHANGHAI OCEAN UNIV
- Filing Date
- 2025-09-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-07-24
AI Technical Summary
Existing technologies are insufficient for efficiently removing underwater biological deposits from ships, especially stubborn fouling such as barnacles. Furthermore, traditional cleaning methods are inefficient, costly, pose significant safety hazards, and have poor environmental adaptability, making them unsuitable for operation in complex areas.
It employs a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical leg combined with a Mecanum wheel mobility system, equipped with coarse and fine cleaning wheels, an adsorption and balancing system using electromagnets and propellers, and a recognition system with cameras and LED lights to achieve adaptive movement and intelligent cleaning.
It achieves efficient and intelligent cleaning of marine organisms, adapting to complex hull surfaces and propeller areas, improving cleaning efficiency and effectiveness, and reducing costs and safety risks.
Smart Images
Figure CN224546246U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to the field of cleaning robot technology, specifically to a shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot. Background Technology
[0002] During long voyages, the underwater hull surface of ships can become fouled by marine organisms such as barnacles, algae, and shellfish. These organisms not only significantly increase the ship's drag and fuel consumption, but also accelerate hull corrosion, shortening the ship's service life. Furthermore, as the ship sails globally, these organisms can cause biological invasions in different sea areas, damaging the biodiversity of those areas.
[0003] Traditional ship cleaning mainly relies on manual diving or dry-docking, which suffers from significant drawbacks such as low efficiency, high cost, and major safety hazards, making it difficult to meet the development needs of the modern shipping industry. Meanwhile, most existing robotic cleaning methods are limited and ineffective at removing stubborn deposits such as barnacles; their adsorption and movement systems have design limitations, resulting in poor environmental adaptability and difficulty operating on complex areas such as curved hulls and propellers; especially in removing hard organisms like barnacles, existing technologies often suffer from insufficient cleaning force or unreasonable path planning, leading to low cleaning efficiency. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a more efficient, intelligent, and adaptable ship cleaning solution. Utility Model Content
[0004] This utility model provides a shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot, comprising a main frame, and the shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot further includes:
[0005] The mobility system includes a quadrupedal multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical leg connected to the bottom of the main frame via a hinge shaft, with Mecanum wheels hinged to the bottom of the mechanical leg via wheel seats;
[0006] The cleaning execution system includes a coarse cleaning wheel and a fine cleaning wheel installed at the front and rear ends of the bottom of the main frame. A spring pressure adjustment component is installed between the coarse cleaning wheel, the fine cleaning wheel and the main frame. The spring pressure adjustment component provides floating downward pressure to the coarse cleaning wheel and the fine cleaning wheel. The coarse cleaning wheel and the fine cleaning wheel rotate synchronously through a transmission mechanism. The rotational linear speed of the fine cleaning wheel is greater than that of the coarse cleaning wheel.
[0007] The adsorption balance system includes an electromagnet installed in the middle of the bottom of the main frame, a reverse thrust servo motor and propeller assembly installed on both sides of the main frame, and a compressed air bladder folded and stored in the cavity inside the main frame and connected to a micro air pump. The surface of the compressed air bladder is equipped with a flexible underwater pressure sensor.
[0008] The identification system includes cameras distributed at the front of the main frame via brackets, underwater LED lights installed on both sides of the front of the main frame, and a main control unit located in a waterproof sealed compartment at the top of the main frame and connected to the cameras for transmission.
[0009] Furthermore, the mechanical leg is provided with multiple hinged joints, and at the joint hinges are servo motors for driving joint rotation, as well as angle sensors for sensing the range of joint rotation.
[0010] Furthermore, the lower surfaces of the coarse cleaning wheel and the fine cleaning wheel are at approximately the same height, and the lower surface of the electromagnet is lower than the lower surface of the coarse cleaning wheel.
[0011] The propeller assembly is mounted on both sides of the main frame via a rotating bracket, which is equipped with an angle adjustment motor.
[0012] Furthermore, both the outer surfaces of the coarse cleaning wheel and the fine cleaning wheel are densely covered with raised friction blocks, and the distribution density of friction blocks on the surface of the coarse cleaning wheel is less than that on the surface of the fine cleaning wheel.
[0013] Furthermore, the coarse cleaning wheel and the fine cleaning wheel rotate synchronously with the gear set via a transmission chain, and the radius of the gear connected to the coarse cleaning wheel is larger than the radius of the gear connected to the fine cleaning wheel.
[0014] Furthermore, the main control unit is equipped with a visual recognition unit.
[0015] Furthermore, the spring pressure adjustment assembly is mounted on the main frame via an L-shaped metal bracket. The spring pressure adjustment assembly includes a spring, with the upper end of the spring connected to the main frame and the lower end connected to the coarse cleaning wheel or the fine cleaning wheel.
[0016] By adopting the above technical solution, the beneficial effects achieved by this utility model are as follows:
[0017] 1) High-efficiency cleaning: The coarse cleaning wheel and the fine cleaning wheel work together in stages. The difference in gear radius creates a difference in rotation speed, which can achieve the step-by-step cleaning of stubborn dirt and small residues, thereby improving cleaning efficiency and effect.
[0018] 2) Adaptive movement: The Mecanum wheel, combined with multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical legs, has the ability to move in all directions and conform to curved surfaces, adapting to the complex curved surfaces of the hull and the propeller area.
[0019] 3) Stable adsorption: The electromagnet works in conjunction with the anti-propulsion rudder to ensure stability in the dynamic underwater environment.
[0020] 4) Intelligent recognition: Multiple cameras and visual recognition units combined with LED lighting enable real-time detection and classification of organisms on the ship's surface, dynamically adjusting cleaning parameters and improving the level of intelligence.
[0021] 5) Automatic pressure adjustment: The spring pressure assembly enables the cleaning wheel assembly to float on the hull surface, resulting in better cleaning effect. Attached Figure Description
[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this utility model, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this utility model. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.
[0023] Figure 1 This is a side view of a marine underwater organism cleaning robot according to the present invention.
[0024] Figure 2 A structural diagram of a single multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical leg of a mobile system;
[0025] Figure 3 A bottom view of a ship's underwater organism cleaning robot;
[0026] Figure 4 A front view of a shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot;
[0027] Figure 5 This is a structural diagram of the spring pressure adjustment assembly. Detailed Implementation
[0028] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be practiced without one or more of these details. In other instances, certain technical features well-known in the art have not been described in order to avoid confusion with the present invention.
[0029] To fully understand this utility model, detailed steps and structures will be presented in the following description to illustrate the technical solution of this utility model. Preferred embodiments of this utility model are described in detail below; however, in addition to these detailed descriptions, this utility model may have other embodiments.
[0030] Reference Figure 1-5 As shown, this utility model provides a shipboard seabed organism cleaning robot, which includes a main frame 1. The shipboard seabed organism cleaning robot also includes a mobile system, a cleaning execution system, an adsorption balance system and an identification system connected to the main frame 1.
[0031] Mobile systems
[0032] The mobile system includes a main frame 1 with a multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical leg 3 connected to the bottom via a hinge shaft 31. The mechanical leg 3 has a Mecanum wheel 34 mounted at its end via a wheel seat 33. The wheel seat 33 integrates a drive motor, and the motor output shaft is connected to the Mecanum wheel 34 hub coupling to achieve omnidirectional movement.
[0033] The robotic leg 3 has two hinged joints, one upper and one lower. The upper joint is rotatably connected to the main frame 1, while the lower joint is hinged to a Mecanum wheel 3. At each hinge point, there is a servo motor for driving the joint rotation and an angle sensor for sensing the range of joint rotation. The servo motors receive commands from the main control unit to precisely control the rotation angle of each joint of the robotic leg, enabling flexible bending and extension. The angle sensors provide real-time feedback of joint rotation data to the main control unit, ensuring the accuracy and stability of the robotic leg's movement.
[0034] Cleaning execution system
[0035] The cleaning execution system 4 includes a coarse cleaning wheel 44 and a fine cleaning wheel 45 respectively located at the front and rear ends of the bottom of the main frame 1. The coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45 are mounted on the bottom of the main frame 1 via an L-shaped metal bracket 41.
[0036] Spring pressure adjustment components 42 are installed between the coarse cleaning wheel 44, the fine cleaning wheel 45, and the main frame 1. These components are mounted on an L-shaped metal bracket 41 and connected to the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45 via bearings 43. The spring pressure adjustment components 42 provide floating downward pressure to the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45, allowing them to better adhere to the ship's surface and achieve a better cleaning effect. Simultaneously, the lower horizontal edge of the L-shaped metal bracket 41 limits the travel of the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45, preventing them from excessively descending and causing instability in the ship's adhesion.
[0037] The coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45 are rotated by a drive system 2. The drive system 2 has three gears 21, 22, and 23 of different sizes (gear 21 is the main gear, and the other two gears 22 and 23 are coaxially fixedly connected to the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45, respectively), forming a transmission structure by chain connection. One end of the support of the transmission structure is fixed to the bottom of the main frame 1 by crossbeam bolts, and the other end supports the transmission chain 24. The transmission chain 24 meshes with the three gears. Under the same input speed, because the radius of the gear 23 connected to the fine cleaning wheel 45 is smaller, and the radius of the gear 22 connected to the coarse cleaning wheel 44 is larger, the coarse cleaning wheel 23 rotates faster, achieving a better and finer cleaning effect. The lower surface heights of the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45 are similar to ensure the cleaning effect.
[0038] In one embodiment, both the outer surfaces of the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45 are densely covered with alternating raised friction blocks, with the friction block distribution density on the surface of the coarse cleaning wheel 44 being lower than that on the surface of the fine cleaning wheel 45. In another embodiment, the raised friction blocks on the surface of the fine cleaning wheel 45 can be replaced with a wire brush to achieve a better fine cleaning effect.
[0039] Adsorption equilibrium system
[0040] The adsorption balance system 5 includes an electromagnet 54 installed in the middle of the bottom of the main frame 1, a counter-propulsion servo motor 51 and a propeller assembly 53 installed on both sides of the main frame 1, and a compressed air bag 8 folded and stored in the internal cavity of the main frame 1 and connected to a micro air pump.
[0041] The lower surface of the electromagnet 54 is slightly lower than the lower surface of the rough cleaning wheel 44 and the fine cleaning wheel 45 to avoid interference with the outer wall of the ship. By adjusting the power of the electromagnet 54, the magnetic attraction force of the electromagnet 54 can be changed, so that the robot can better adhere to the outer wall of the ship, without affecting the robot's movement on the outer wall of the ship.
[0042] The propeller assembly 53 is installed on both sides of the main frame 1 via the rotating bracket 52. A rotating motor can be installed at the rotation point of the rotating bracket 52, so that the propeller 53 can actively pitch and change the thrust direction in real time to counteract the impact of water flow, quickly adjust attitude, and achieve more stable adsorption, faster boat removal, and more precise cleaning.
[0043] The compressed airbag 8 is automatically inflated and deflated via a miniature air pump to balance the robot's gravity and buoyancy or to assist in adjusting the adsorption force. The surface of the compressed airbag 8 is equipped with a flexible underwater pressure sensor to detect water pressure data, and the signal is transmitted via a data bus to the main control unit inside the waterproof sealed chamber 9 within the main frame 1.
[0044] Identification system
[0045] The identification system includes cameras 6 mounted on the front of the main frame 1 via brackets, underwater LED lights 7 installed on both sides of the front of the main frame 1, and a main control unit located in a waterproof sealed compartment 9 at the top of the main frame 1, connected to the cameras 6. The main control unit is equipped with a visual recognition unit. Cameras 6 can acquire image information of the ship's outer wall in real time and transmit it to the visual recognition unit of the main control unit. The visual recognition unit has built-in image processing algorithms and pattern recognition technology, which can accurately identify the types, distribution range, and degree of attachment of marine organisms attached to the ship's outer wall. The underwater LED lights 7 provide underwater illumination for cameras 6, ensuring that cameras 6 can acquire clear and accurate images under different water depths and water quality conditions. Furthermore, the lighting LED lights 7 adopt a waterproof and sealed design, are connected to the main control unit via a circuit bus, and can automatically adjust their brightness and illumination angle according to the ambient light conditions fed back by the intelligent identification system.
[0046] Based on the information fed back by the visual recognition unit, the main control unit adjusts the robot's movement path, the parameters of the cleaning execution system, and the working status of the adsorption balance system in real time to achieve efficient and precise cleaning operations.
[0047] The working process of this utility model is described below:
[0048] See Figure 1-3 As shown, when the robot approaches the hull, camera 6 identifies the hull's outline and curved surface features. The main control unit controls the joints of the mobile mechanical legs 3 to rotate, adjusting the contact posture of the Mecanum wheels 34 to make the robot adhere to the hull surface. Simultaneously, the counter-propulsion servos 51 connected to both sides of the robot synchronously adjust the propeller angle to counteract the impact of water flow and assist in stable docking. Subsequently, the electromagnet 54 is energized and its power is adjusted to change the magnitude of the magnetic force, allowing the robot body to be stably magnetically attracted to the hull. By default, the compressed airbag 8 is in a compressed state to prevent buoyancy from interfering with the adsorption force. The counter-propulsion servos 51 fine-tune the propeller thrust according to the fluctuation of the adsorption force to compensate for the horizontal force balance and ensure that the robot is stably attached to the hull.
[0049] During cleaning operations, underwater LED lights 7 provide underwater illumination, and cameras 6 capture images of the ship's outer walls. A local visual recognition unit processes the image data captured by camera 6 and identifies areas with hard deposits such as barnacles and shellfish. Once these areas are identified, the main control unit activates the front-end coarse cleaning wheel 44. A DC motor drives gear 21 to rotate, transmitting power to the coarse cleaning wheel 44 via a transmission chain 24, causing it to operate at high speed. Its hard, serrated structure impacts and peels away stubborn dirt. Simultaneously, the main control unit adjusts the joint angle of the mechanical legs 3 to control the contact pressure between the coarse cleaning wheel 44 and the ship's hull, ensuring effective cleaning. After the coarse cleaning wheel 44 finishes its work, the robot moves forward, driving the fine cleaning wheel 45 to rotate at high speed via the transmission chain 24. Flexible brushes remove residual debris and algae film. The main control unit dynamically adjusts the speed and movement path based on the current feedback from the fine cleaning wheel 45 to avoid cleaning blind spots. It should be noted that the dynamic adjustment of the main control unit is achieved through a pre-written program algorithm by those skilled in the art; this step is existing technology and will not be elaborated upon here. Similarly, image recognition using a sensory recognition unit is also a conventional technique and will not be described in detail here.
[0050] Furthermore, after the cleaning operation is completed, the intelligent recognition system scans the hull surface through camera 6 to confirm that the cleaning meets the standards. The main control unit triggers the termination program, the electromagnet 54 is de-energized, and the magnetic attraction is released. The micro air pump inflates the compressed air bag 8 to make it expand and provide upward buoyancy for the robot. At the same time, the reverse thrust servo motor 53 drives the propeller to rotate in the opposite direction, causing the robot to detach from the hull and return to the shore recovery area.
[0051] The preferred embodiments of this utility model have been described above. It should be understood that this utility model is not limited to the specific embodiments described above. Devices and structures not described in detail herein should be understood as being implemented in a conventional manner within the art. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible variations and modifications to the technical solutions of this utility model using the disclosed methods and techniques, or modify them into equivalent embodiments with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of this utility model. This does not affect the essential content of this utility model. Therefore, any simple modifications, equivalent changes, and modifications made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of this utility model, without departing from the content of the technical solution of this utility model, still fall within the protection scope of the technical solution of this utility model.
Claims
1. A shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot, comprising a main frame (1), characterized in that, The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot also includes: The mobile system includes a quadrupedal multi-degree-of-freedom mechanical leg (3) connected to the bottom of the main frame (1) via a hinge shaft (31), and a Mecanum wheel (34) is hinged to the bottom of the mechanical leg (3) via a wheel seat (33). The cleaning execution system includes a coarse cleaning wheel (44) and a fine cleaning wheel (45) installed at the front and rear ends of the bottom of the main frame (1). A spring pressure adjustment component (42) is provided between the coarse cleaning wheel (44), the fine cleaning wheel (45) and the main frame (1). The spring pressure adjustment component (42) provides floating downward pressure to the coarse cleaning wheel (44) and the fine cleaning wheel (45). The coarse cleaning wheel (44) and the fine cleaning wheel (45) rotate synchronously through a transmission mechanism. The rotational linear speed of the fine cleaning wheel (45) is greater than that of the coarse cleaning wheel (44). The adsorption balance system includes an electromagnet (54) installed in the middle of the bottom of the main frame (1), a reverse thrust servo (51) and a propeller assembly (53) installed on both sides of the main frame (1), and a compressed air bag (8) folded and stored in the internal cavity of the main frame (1) and connected to a micro air pump. The surface of the compressed air bag (8) is provided with a flexible underwater pressure sensor. The identification system includes cameras (6) distributed at the front of the main frame (1) via brackets, underwater LED lights (7) installed on both sides of the front of the main frame (1), and a main control unit located in the waterproof sealed chamber (9) at the top of the main frame (1) and connected to the cameras (6) for transmission.
2. The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The mechanical leg (3) is provided with multiple hinged joints, and at the joint hinges there is a servo motor for driving the joint rotation, and an angle sensor for sensing the range of joint rotation.
3. The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower surfaces of the coarse cleaning wheel (44) and the fine cleaning wheel (45) are at approximately the same height, and the lower surface of the electromagnet (54) is lower than the lower surface of the coarse cleaning wheel (44). The propeller assembly (53) is mounted on both sides of the main frame (1) via a rotating bracket, which is equipped with an angle adjustment motor.
4. The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer surfaces of both the rough cleaning wheel (44) and the fine cleaning wheel (45) are covered with interlaced protruding friction blocks. The friction block distribution density on the surface of the rough cleaning wheel (44) is less than that on the surface of the fine cleaning wheel (45).
5. The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The coarse cleaning wheel (44) and the fine cleaning wheel (45) rotate synchronously with the gear set through the transmission chain (24), and the radius of the gear connected to the coarse cleaning wheel (44) is greater than the radius of the gear connected to the fine cleaning wheel (45).
6. The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The main control unit is equipped with a visual recognition unit.
7. The shipboard underwater organism cleaning robot according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spring pressure adjustment assembly (42) is mounted on the main frame (1) via an L-shaped metal bracket. The spring pressure adjustment assembly (42) contains a spring, the upper end of which is connected to the main frame (1), and the lower end of which is connected to the coarse cleaning wheel (44) or the fine cleaning wheel (45).