Pile Leg Mining Robot for Soft Seabed Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing deep-sea manganese nodule mining robots face challenges in walking on soft manganese nodule geological layers, causing subsidence and damage to the environment, and fail to protect benthic organisms during mining, leading to inefficiencies and ecological destruction.
Innovation Solution
A pile leg walking type manganese nodule mining robot equipped with multiple drive components and lifting piles for stable movement, a vector propulsive mechanism for adjustable movement, a negative pressure suction mechanism for organism transfer, and a manganese nodule cutter suction mechanism to minimize environmental impact and ensure efficient resource extraction.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If direct-bearing mining robots are used on manganese nodule geological layer, then mining operation can be performed, but robot subsidence occurs and walking becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The robot body is divided into multiple independent modules connected by universal joints, allowing each module to move and adapt independently to the soft geological layer, preventing overall subsidence while maintaining operational capability
Solution Approach 2:
The robot employs dynamic legged locomotion with adjustable leg lengths and joint angles, enabling real-time adaptation to the soft manganese nodule layer, thereby maintaining stability during mining operations without causing subsidence
2Productivity
If existing mining robots operate on manganese nodule layer, then resource mining can be achieved, but benthic organisms are destroyed and marine environment is damaged
Solution Approach 1:
A suction mechanism with negative pressure generation device is introduced as an intermediary between the robot and the seabed environment, enabling selective extraction of manganese nodules while gently transporting benthic organisms to safety, thus minimizing ecological damage during mining operations
Solution Approach 2:
The robot performs preliminary detection and identification of benthic organisms before mining operations, and pre-positiones protective barriers or suction paths to prevent organism damage, ensuring ecological protection is integrated into the mining process from the outset
3Ease of operation
If crushing walking track is used for robot movement, then robot can traverse the geological layer, but manganese nodule growth structure is destroyed and environment is seriously damaged
Solution Approach 1:
The robot uses segmented legged locomotion instead of continuous track crushing, with each leg independently positioned to minimize ground contact area and avoid crushing the manganese nodule growth structure, thereby maintaining mobility while protecting the environment
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The robot achieves stable and efficient mining on complex geological layers while protecting benthic organisms and their growth environment, resolving the conflict between resource mining and environmental protection with low energy consumption.
Implementation Method 1
The negative pressure suction mechanism is provided on the head of the body and configured for suction and transfer of benthic organisms
Implementation Method 2
The vector propulsive mechanism includes multiple vertical vector propellers and horizontal vector propellers evenly provided around the body
Implementation Method 3
When the lifting piles are vertically arranged, the drive components drive the lifting piles to move back and forth in vertical and horizontal directions
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is a pile leg walking type manganese nodule mining robot. The robot includes a body, a pile walking mechanism, a vector propulsive mechanism, a negative pressure suction mechanism and a manganese nodule cutter suction mechanism. The invention involves a stable and efficient deep-sea mining robot which can complete the mining task on the geological layer where the manganese nodule are located, and effectively protects the marine life and living environment in the deep-sea mining area. The existence environment of manganese nodule is also protected. After mining, the regeneration environment of living or other resources on the deep-sea floor will not be affected, thus greatly resolving the sharp contradiction between resource exploitation and environmental protection.