Underwater robot

Abstract

The present disclosure discloses an underwater robot including a housing and six thrusters attached to the housing and independently controlled, four of the thrusters being located within four spaces divided by a first vertical central plane and a second vertical central plane, with the thrust direction being between the horizontal and vertical directions, and the other two thrusters being located on opposite sides of the first vertical central plane, wherein the first vertical central plane extends in the fore-and-aft direction of the housing and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the second vertical central plane passes through the longitudinal midpoint of the housing and is perpendicular to the first vertical central plane and the horizontal plane.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] (CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS) This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed on January 16, 2023, bearing application number 202320111654.6, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present application relates to the technical field of robotics, and in particular to underwater robots. [Background technology]

[0003] With the development of science and technology, science and technology related to underwater robots have also developed accordingly, and many underwater robots can realize hovering and forward and backward motion at any angle underwater, but many conventional underwater robots with the function of realizing hovering and forward and backward motion at any angle are controlled by a single motor line, which means that at least eight motors are required to realize it, so the manufacturing cost of this kind of underwater robot is relatively high. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The main objective of the present application is to provide an underwater robot that has the ability to achieve motion functions such as hovering and rotation at any angle, thereby reducing the number of motors used, and thus reducing manufacturing costs. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the underwater robot proposed in this application comprises: A housing and six thrusters attached to the housing and independently controlled, four of the thrusters being located within four spaces divided by a first vertical center plane and a second vertical center plane, a thrust direction being between a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and the other two of the thrusters being located on opposite sides of the first vertical center plane; The first vertical central plane extends in the front-to-rear direction of the housing and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane, and the second vertical central plane passes through the longitudinal midpoint of the housing and is perpendicular to the first vertical central plane and the horizontal plane.

[0006] In one embodiment, the thruster and the housing are removably connected.

[0007] In one embodiment, the housing has six grooves that fit the thrusters, and the thrusters are mounted in the grooves in one-to-one correspondence and can be mounted in the grooves at multiple angles.

[0008] In one embodiment, the underwater robot has multiple operating modes, including a hovering mode, a pitching rotational motion mode, a rolling rotational motion mode, a yawing rotational motion mode, and a linear motion mode, and the six thrusters operate regardless of which operating mode the underwater robot is in.

[0009] In one embodiment, when the underwater robot is in the pitching rotational motion mode, the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on one side of the second vertical central plane is opposite to the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on the other side of the second vertical central plane, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the first vertical central plane.

[0010] In one embodiment, when the underwater robot is in the rolling rotational motion mode, the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on one side of the first vertical central plane is opposite to the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on the other side of the first vertical central plane, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the second vertical central plane.

[0011] In one embodiment, when the underwater robot is in the yawing rotational motion mode, the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on one side of the first vertical central plane is opposite to the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on the other side of the first vertical central plane, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the horizontal plane.

[0012] In one embodiment, the thrusters on either side of the first vertical center plane are symmetrically positioned.

[0013] In one embodiment, the thrust directions of the thrusters in two diagonally arranged spaces out of the four spaces are the same.

[0014] In one embodiment, the thrusters are capable of providing counter-propulsion through counter-rotation.

[0015] (Beneficial Effects) The first vertical center plane, the second vertical center plane, and the horizontal plane in the technical solution of the present application pass through the center lines of the corresponding housing surfaces. The six thrusters 200 are all individually and independently controlled. That is, the thrust speed, thrust, and cooperation and interlocking between the thrusters 200 of each thruster can be individually controlled and adjusted as appropriate. The orientation of two of the thrusters coincides with the orientation of the front end of the housing and is located on opposite sides of the first vertical center plane, so that the underwater robot can move forward and backward by the two thrusters. The thrust directions of the remaining four thrusters are between the horizontal and vertical directions, and the thrusts of these four thrusters can be individually controlled, so that the resultant thrust force direction of these four thrusters can be any direction other than the forward and backward direction. That is, it is possible to realize propulsion in any direction other than the forward and backward direction of the housing by these four thrusters.

[0016] The underwater robot in this technical solution is parallel to the horizontal plane when moving forward and backward, and the forward and backward directions in this technical solution coincide with the extension direction of the casing and are mutually perpendicular to the left and right directions.

[0017] Therefore, according to the technical solution, the six thrusters can realize hovering and forward and backward movements at any angle. Since one thruster corresponds to one motor, the number of motors used in the underwater robot having the function of realizing hovering and forward and backward movements at any angle is reduced, and thus the related manufacturing costs are reduced. In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application and the prior art, the following will briefly describe the accompanying drawings required for the description of the embodiments or the prior art. It is obvious that the accompanying drawings in the following description are only some of the embodiments of the present application, and those skilled in the art can obtain other accompanying drawings based on the structures shown in these accompanying drawings without creative work. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0018] [Figure 1]FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of one embodiment of the underwater robot of the present application at a certain angle. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the underwater robot of the present application in a rolling rotational motion mode. [Diagram 3] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the underwater robot of the present application in a yawing rotational motion mode. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the underwater robot of the present application in a pitching rotational motion mode. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0019] The realization of the object, the function features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in combination with the embodiments with reference to the attached drawings. The following will clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application in combination with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. It is clear that the described embodiments are not all the embodiments of the present application, but only some of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments that a person skilled in the art can obtain without performing creative work fall within the scope of protection of the present application.

[0020] It should be noted that all directional indications (e.g., up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) in the embodiments of the present application are used only to describe the relative positional relationships, movement conditions, etc. between each part in a certain position (as shown in the attached drawings), and if the specific position changes, the directional indications will also change accordingly.

[0021] In this application, unless otherwise clearly specified or limited, the terms "connected", "fixed", etc. should be understood in a broad sense. For example, "fixed" may mean a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral connection, a mechanical connection, an electrical connection, a direct connection, an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, an internal communication between two elements, or an interactive relationship between two elements. Those skilled in the art can understand the specific meaning of the above terms in this application according to the specific situation.

[0022] In addition, when the description of "first", "second", etc. is concerned in the embodiments of the present application, the description of "first", "second", etc. is used only for the purpose of explanation, and should not be understood as indicating or implying the relative importance thereof, or as implicitly specifying the number of technical features presented. Thus, a feature limited to "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In addition, "and / or" appearing in the whole sentence means including three parallel proposals. Taking "A and / or B" as an example, it includes proposal A, or proposal B, or a proposal in which A and B are simultaneously satisfied. In addition, the technical proposals of each embodiment can be combined with each other. However, it is premised that a person skilled in the art can realize it. If a combination of technical proposals causes a contradiction or cannot be realized, it should be understood that such a combination of technical proposals does not exist and is not within the scope of protection claimed by the present application.

[0023] As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the present application proposes an underwater robot.

[0024] In an embodiment of the present application, the underwater robot comprises: A housing and six thrusters 200 attached to the housing 100 and independently controlled, four of the thrusters 200 being located in four spaces divided by a first vertical central plane 110 and a second vertical central plane 120, a thrust direction being between a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and the other two of the thrusters 200 being located on opposite sides of the first vertical central plane 110; The first vertical central plane 110 extends in the front-to-rear direction of the housing 100 and is perpendicular to the horizontal plane 130, and the second vertical central plane 120 passes through the longitudinal midpoint of the housing 100 and is perpendicular to the first vertical central plane 110 and the horizontal plane 130.

[0025] The first vertical central plane 110, the second vertical central plane 120, and the horizontal plane 130 in the technical solution of the present application pass through the center line of the corresponding housing 100 surface. The six thrusters 200 are each controlled independently. That is, the thrust speed, thrust, and cooperation and interlocking between the thrusters 200 of each thruster 200 can be appropriately controlled and adjusted. The orientation of two of the thrusters 200 coincides with the orientation of the front end of the housing 100 and is located on opposite sides of the first vertical central plane 110, so that the underwater robot can move forward and backward by the two thrusters 200. The thrust directions of four of the thrusters 200 are between the horizontal and vertical directions, and the thrusts of the four thrusters 200 can be individually controlled, so that the resultant thrust direction of the four thrusters 200 can be any direction other than the forward and backward direction. In other words, these four thrusters 200 can realize propulsion in any direction other than the front-rear direction of the housing 100.

[0026] Therefore, according to the technical solution, the six thrusters 200 can realize hovering and forward / backward motions at any angle. Since one thruster 200 corresponds to one motor, the number of motors used in the underwater robot having the function of realizing hovering and forward / backward motions at any angle is reduced, and thus the associated manufacturing costs are reduced.

[0027] Furthermore, the thruster 200 and the housing 100 are detachably connected. In this technical solution, since the thruster 200 and the housing 100 are detachably connected, the thruster 200 can exist independently of the housing 100, so that the repair and maintenance of the thruster 200 is easier. Of course, in other embodiments, the housing 100 and the thruster 200 may be integrally molded during manufacturing.

[0028] Furthermore, the housing 100 is provided with six receiving grooves 300 that fit the thrusters 200, and the thrusters 200 are mounted in the receiving grooves 300 in one-to-one correspondence, and can be mounted in the receiving grooves 300 at multiple angles. In this embodiment, the thrusters 200 and the housing 100 may have various relative positional relationships. Note that, the closer the thrusters 200 are to the vertical direction of the housing 100, the greater the force that the thrusters 200 exert on the housing 100 in the vertical direction; similarly, the closer the thrusters 200 are to the horizontal direction of the housing 100, the greater the force that the thrusters 200 exert on the housing 100 in the horizontal direction; thus, the user can adjust the appropriate positional relationship between the thrusters 200 and the housing 100 according to the actual environmental needs.

[0029] Furthermore, the underwater robot has a plurality of operation modes, which are a hovering mode, a pitching rotational motion mode, a rolling rotational motion mode, a yawing rotational motion mode, and a linear motion mode, and the six thrusters 200 operate regardless of which operation mode the underwater robot is in. In this embodiment, the underwater robot has a plurality of operation modes, and the hovering mode allows the underwater robot to hover at any position in the water, the pitching rotational motion mode, the rolling rotational motion mode, and the yawing rotational motion mode allow the underwater robot to rotate in any vertical or horizontal direction, and the linear motion mode allows the underwater robot to move forward or backward in any direction. Note that the six thrusters 200 operate regardless of which operation mode the underwater robot is in, but the direction and magnitude of the resultant thrust force during operation are different.

[0030] Furthermore, when the underwater robot is in the pitching rotational motion mode, the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing 100 by the thruster 200 located on one side of the second vertical central plane 120 is opposite to the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing 100 by the thruster 200 located on the other side of the second vertical central plane 120, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the first vertical central plane 110. In this embodiment, since the directions of the two resultant forces on both sides of the second vertical central plane 120 and parallel to the first vertical central plane 110 are opposite, the underwater robot can rotate around the axis where the horizontal plane 130 and the second vertical central plane 120 intersect, i.e., pitch rotation.

[0031] Furthermore, when the underwater robot is in the rolling rotational motion mode, the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing 100 by the thrusters 200 located on one side of the first vertical central plane 110 is opposite to the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing 100 by the thrusters 200 located on the other side of the first vertical central plane 110, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the second vertical central plane 120. Note that in this embodiment, since the directions of the two resultant forces on both sides of the first vertical central plane 110 and parallel to the second vertical central plane 120 are opposite, the underwater robot can rotate around the axis where the horizontal plane 130 and the first vertical central plane 110 intersect, i.e., perform a rolling rotation.

[0032] Furthermore, when the underwater robot is in the yawing rotational motion mode, the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing 100 by the thrusters 200 located on one side of the first vertical central plane 110 is opposite to the direction of the resultant force acting on the housing 100 by the thrusters 200 located on the other side of the first vertical central plane 110, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the horizontal plane 130. In this embodiment, since the directions of the two resultant forces parallel to the horizontal plane 130 are opposite, the underwater robot can rotate, i.e., yawing, around the axis where the first vertical central plane 110 and the second vertical central plane 120 intersect.

[0033] Furthermore, the thrusters 200 are installed symmetrically on both sides of the first vertical central plane 110. In this embodiment, since the thrusters 200 are installed symmetrically on both sides of the first vertical central plane 110, the weight distribution of the thrusters 200 on the housing 100 is relatively uniform, which in turn ensures the balance of the housing 100 itself, making it easier to control the underwater robot.

[0034] Furthermore, the thrust directions of the thrusters 200 in two diagonally arranged spaces among the four spaces are the same. In this embodiment, the thrust directions of the diagonally arranged thrusters 200 among the four thrusters 200 in the four spaces formed by the first vertical central plane 110 and the second vertical central plane 120 are the same. In addition, since the thrusters 200 on both sides of the first vertical central plane 110 are symmetrically installed, the thrust directions of the thrusters 200 on both sides of the first vertical central plane 110 face each other, and since the thrust directions of the diagonally installed thrusters 200 are the same, the thrusters 200 located on the same side of the first vertical central plane 110 are also installed to face each other, which makes the distribution of the resultant force direction of the thrusters 200 more rational and efficient, which is more advantageous for controlling the underwater robot.

[0035] Furthermore, the thruster 200 can achieve reverse propulsion by reverse rotation. In this embodiment, the thruster 200 can rotate both forward and reverse, but since the direction of the thrust force is reversed during forward rotation and reverse rotation of the thruster 200, the propulsion direction is also reversed. Providing a reverse rotation function increases the options for the path of control of the underwater robot, making it easier to control the underwater robot.

[0036] The above is merely a preferred embodiment of the present application, and does not limit the scope of the patent of the present application. Any equivalent structural transformation made by utilizing the contents of the specification and accompanying drawings of the present application under the concept of the present application, or direct / indirect application to other related technical fields, is also included in the scope of protection of the patent of the present application. [Explanation of symbols]

[0037] 100 Case 110 First vertical center plane 120 Second vertical center plane 130 horizontal plane 200 Thruster 300 Storage Groove

Claims

1. A housing and six thrusters attached to the housing and independently controlled, four of the thrusters being located within four spaces defined by a first vertical central plane and a second vertical central plane, a thrust direction being between a horizontal direction and a vertical direction, and the other two of the thrusters being located on opposite sides of the first vertical central plane; The first vertical center plane extends in the front-rear direction of the housing and is perpendicular to a horizontal plane, and the second vertical center plane passes through a midpoint of the housing in the longitudinal direction and is perpendicular to the first vertical center plane and the horizontal plane. Underwater robot.

2. The thruster and the housing are removably connected The underwater robot according to claim 1 .

3. The housing is provided with six accommodation grooves that fit the thrusters, and the thrusters are mounted in the accommodation grooves in one-to-one correspondence and can be mounted in the accommodation grooves at a plurality of angles. The underwater robot according to claim 2 .

4. The underwater robot has a plurality of motion modes, which are a hovering mode, a pitching rotational motion mode, a rolling rotational motion mode, a yawing rotational motion mode, and a linear motion mode, and the six thrusters are in an operational state regardless of which of the motion modes the underwater robot is in. The underwater robot according to claim 1 .

5. When the underwater robot is in the pitching rotational motion mode, a direction of a resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on one side of the second vertical central plane is opposite to a direction of a resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on the other side of the second vertical central plane, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the first vertical central plane. The underwater robot according to claim 4.

6. When the underwater robot is in the rolling rotational motion mode, a direction of a resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on one side of the first vertical central plane is opposite to a direction of a resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on the other side of the first vertical central plane, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the second vertical central plane. The underwater robot according to claim 4.

7. When the underwater robot is in the yawing rotational motion mode, a direction of a resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on one side of the first vertical central plane is opposite to a direction of a resultant force acting on the housing by the thrusters located on the other side of the first vertical central plane, and both directions of these two resultant forces are parallel to the horizontal plane. The underwater robot according to claim 4.

8. The thrusters on either side of the first vertical center plane are symmetrically positioned. The underwater robot according to claim 1 .

9. The thrust directions of the thrusters in two of the four spaces arranged diagonally are the same. The underwater robot according to claim 8.

10. The thrusters can achieve reverse thrust by counter-rotating. The underwater robot according to claim 1 .

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