JP2019089422A - Seabed survey system using underwater drone - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a seabed survey system using an underwater drone.SOLUTION: A seabed survey system using an underwater drone regarding one embodiment of the present invention is a system for transmitting seabed survey information to a base station. The seabed survey system includes: the underwater drone including a body part to which a vertical propeller and a horizontal propeller are attached, and a water camera attached to a front end of the body part; and a buoy part floating on water and enabling radio communication between the underwater drone and the base station. The buoy part includes: a floating body formed of cross-linking polyethylene and floating on water; a solar panel adhered to an upper surface of the floating body; an antenna provided on an upper surface of the solar panel and enabling radio communication between the underwater drone and the base station; a pulling up part to which the underwater drone is coupled and selectively pulling up the underwater drone; and a protection part attached on an outer periphery surface of the floating body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a submarine exploration system using an underwater drone, and more particularly, an underwater drones can be easily controlled by communicating with the underwater drones via a buoy on the ocean at a base station on the ground, and ocean floor exploration information The present invention relates to a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone which can be transmitted to a base station in real time and which is excellent in photovoltaic power generation.

  Conventionally, when measuring the water depth and debris of the seabed, it was measured while a person got on a ship and tied up a side scan sonar (Side Scan Sonar) with a ship and pulled it up. However, this has the problem that additional preparations such as ships, workers and seafarers are required. In order to improve this, I made an unmanned wireless floating boat and mounted a side scan sonar at the bottom and measured it with a remote control. However, this too is inconvenient because trucks, cranes and the like have to be mobilized in order to move, launch and withdraw to the quay.

  Recently, robot technology has been developed, and as automatic control technology and remote control technology have advanced, it is an abnormal environment for human beings such as working in dangerous environment such as space, seabed, high temperature or low temperature, or very monotonous work. The field of application of robots in Japan is being expanded. Such robot technology is applied in industry, medical care, space, seabed, etc., but it can be used to monitor and search dangerous sites, such as inaccessible to people, especially in the ocean. .

  Drones, which correspond to unmanned aerial vehicles, are used for various purposes in various fields from military use to commercial use. Generally, drone can be divided into target drone, reconnaissance drone, and surveillance drone, but in recent years, drone has been more widely used while being used commercially. Drones having a structure or use have been developed.

  Although seafloor exploration is being attempted using drones, enormous communication technology and capital must be invested to control video transmission and underwater drones under the sea, and also it is necessary to control underwater drones on ships. However, due to the characteristics of the ship, the range of activity is limited and there are difficulties in control. In addition, there is a problem that the underwater drone can not be operated unless the ship can leave the port according to the situation of the sea.

Korean Published Patent No. 10-2015-0140172 Korean Published Patent No. 10-2017-0096460

  According to an embodiment of the present invention, the seafloor exploration system using the underwater drone can easily control the underwater drone by communicating with the underwater drone through the floating part of the sea at the base station on the ground, and the seafloor exploration information An object of the present invention is to provide a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone that can be transmitted to a base station in real time.

  In addition, the seafloor exploration system using the underwater drone according to one embodiment of the present invention uses the underwater drone which can conduct seafloor exploration at a relatively low cost and prevent the underwater drone from being swallowed and separated by the ocean current. The purpose is to provide a search system.

  In addition, a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone, in which an antenna is suspended above water and a solar panel is cooled. Intended to provide.

  The problems of the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

  A seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is a system for transmitting seafloor exploration information to a base station, comprising: a main body on which a vertical propeller and a horizontal propeller are mounted; An underwater drone provided with an underwater camera mounted at the front end, and a buoy suspended on water, enabling wireless communication between the underwater drone and the base station, the buoy being a crosslinkable polyethylene (XLPE) A floating body which is formed of Cross-Linkaged Polyethylene and is floated on water, a solar panel adhered to the upper surface of the floating body, and the upper surface of the solar panel, the underwater drone and the base station And an antenna for enabling wireless communication with the submersible, and a withdrawal part to which the submersible drone is coupled and which selectively withdraws the submersible drone And a protection portion mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the floating body.

  Also, a wall of a predetermined height may be formed at an edge of the upper surface of the floating body, and the solar panel may be provided in a smaller size than the floating body.

  Also, a hollow may be formed inside the floating body, and a flow path may be formed by a plurality of partitions.

  In addition, the withdrawal portion may include a take-up reel on which a rope to which the in-water drone is connected is wound, and a drive unit to which power is supplied via the solar panel to drive the take-up reel. it can.

  Further, the protective portion is annularly formed, mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the floating body, and is foldably coupled to a stationary portion floating on water and the stationary portion, and the submerged drone is withdrawn by the withdrawal portion. And a fold that can be folded as it is being

  Also, the underwater camera may be a virtual reality camera.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, at least the following effects can be obtained.

  The seafloor exploration system using the underwater drone according to the embodiment of the present invention can easily control the underwater drone and communicate with the underwater drone by communicating with the underwater drone at the base station on the ground through the buoy on the sea. A seafloor exploration system using various underwater drones is provided.

  In addition, it is possible to transmit underwater drone submarine exploration information such as a captured image to the base station in real time.

  In addition, since the underwater drone is connected to the buoy floating on the sea, the underwater drone is prevented from being detached by an external factor such as the ocean current.

  In addition, floating bodies on the sea allow the antenna to be placed on the sea and cool the solar panels.

  In addition, if the in-water drone is withdrawn by the withdrawal portion, the in-water drone is disposed in the space in the in-folding portion by bending the in-folding portion, and the in-water drone is prevented from being damaged by an external factor.

  In addition, floating on the sea, power generation through the solar panel, power production for driving the antenna and the withdrawal part is possible independently.

  In addition, by realizing wireless communication between the ground base station and the underwater drone via the antenna, it is possible to transmit the seafloor exploration information explored by the underwater drone to the base station at low cost.

  The effects of the present invention are not limited by the contents exemplified above, and various effects are included in the present specification.

It is a rough apparatus figure of the seabed exploration system using the underwater drone concerning one embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an underwater drone of a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a schematic longitudinal cross-sectional view of the float part of the seabed exploration system using the underwater drone concerning one embodiment of the present invention. It is sectional drawing of the floating body of the seabed exploration system using the underwater drone which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which showed the state by which the underwater drone of the seabed exploration system using the underwater drone which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention was pulled up.

  While the invention is susceptible to various modifications, and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and will be described in detail in the detailed description. The advantages and features of the invention, and the manner of achieving them, will be apparent with reference to the embodiments described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed in the following, and can be realized in various forms, and any changes, equivalents or alternatives included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. It must be understood as including.

  Prior to the description, the terms described in the detailed description will be described. In the following embodiments, the terms first, second, and the like are used in order to distinguish one component from another component, not in a limiting sense. Therefore, it goes without saying that the first component mentioned below can be the second component within the technical concept of the present invention. Also, a singular expression includes a plurality of expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. Also, the terms "including" or "having" are intended to mean that the features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described herein are present. It is not precluded in advance that one or more other features or components may be added. In addition, the terms "... unit", "... means", "... part", "... member" and the like described in the specification are generic to perform at least one function or operation. Means a unit of

  Also, in the drawings, the size of components and the like may be exaggerated or reduced for convenience of description. For example, the size and thickness of each component shown in the drawings are arbitrarily shown for the convenience of description, and thus the present invention is not necessarily limited to that illustrated.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the attached drawings. In the description with reference to the accompanying drawings, identical or corresponding components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic device diagram of a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The seafloor exploration system 1000 using the underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention easily controls the underwater drone by communicating with the underwater drone at the base station on the ground via the floating part of the ocean, and the seafloor exploration information Can be transmitted to the base station in real time, which is excellent in the efficiency of solar power generation, and includes an underwater drone 100 and a buoy 200 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the underwater drone of the seafloor exploration system 1000 using the underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The underwater drone 100 can have various sensors, actuators, power sources, and the like possessed by an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle. Moreover, the underwater drone 100 which concerns on this embodiment can have various functions which a unmanned air vehicle has. And, by further converting the structure of the unmanned air vehicle or adding an additional configuration to the unmanned air vehicle structure, it can be provided to enable underwater travel. That is, the underwater drone 100 which concerns on this embodiment is not restrict | limited by the apparatus or function which a unmanned air vehicle has. And, for the sake of clear understanding of the present invention and simplicity of explanation, the structure or function of the unmanned air vehicle is not specifically described, but the present invention should not be interpreted restrictively.

  In the present embodiment, the underwater drone 100 includes a streamlined main body 110. By being streamlined, resistance is minimized and smooth movement in water is possible. Or, it may be in the shape of a cylinder whose diameter decreases in the longitudinal direction. That is, the structure is not particularly limited as long as the resistance in water can be minimized. A vertical propeller 111 and a horizontal propeller 112 are mounted on the main body 110. In addition, a plurality of blades 113 are attached. The vertical propeller 111 can move up and down, and the horizontal propeller 112 can move back and forth. Further, the balance can be maintained by the blades 113, and the direction can be adjusted. On the other hand, the main body portion 110 is connected to the lifting portion 240 of the buoy 200 via the rope 260, and the detailed contents regarding this will be described later.

  An underwater camera 120 is attached to the front end of the underwater drone 100. The underwater camera 120 is rotatably provided so that the front of the underwater drone 100 can be easily photographed. In the present embodiment, the underwater camera 120 can support 4K30 and 2.7K601 images, and can be equipped with a program module to enable 3D underwater topography scanning. An image captured by the underwater camera 120 in the present embodiment can be transmitted to the base station 300 in real time. The underwater camera 120 is wirelessly communicable with the base station 300 via the antenna 230 of the buoy 200, and the captured image is transmitted to the base station 300 in real time via wireless communication.

  In addition, the underwater camera 120 may be a virtual reality (VR) camera. For example, when the user wears predetermined goggles, the screen shot by the underwater camera 120 is displayed on the goggles, so that an effect similar to that the user is actually on the sea floor can be represented. Such a function can also be realized via the antenna 230 of the buoy 200. Here, the user may be understood to be the person controlling the buoy 200 or the underwater drone 100 at the base station 300.

  In addition, a light 130 is attached to the front end of the underwater drone 100. The light 130 is mounted for easy exploration on the seabed where the light is cut off, and in the present embodiment the light 130 is provided by a six-ball LED to provide excellent functions in power and weight, illumination support portion It can be demonstrated.

  FIG. 3 is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of a buoy of a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  The buoy portion 200 is a configuration for easily controlling the underwater drone 100, and includes a floating body 210, a solar panel 220, an antenna 230, a lifting portion 240, and a protection portion 250.

  The floating body 210 is configured to have buoyancy so that it can float on the sea. A GPS module is attached to the floating body 210 so that the base station 300 can easily grasp the position on the sea.

  A solar panel 220 is adhered to the upper surface of the floating body 210. The solar panel 220 is configured to generate electric power to be supplied to a configuration requiring electric power, such as the antenna 230 and the withdrawing unit 240 via solar power generation. Since the buoy portion 200 can generate electricity by itself through the solar panel 220, and the power consumption of the antenna 230 and the withdrawal portion 240 is small, it can be used for a long time unless the weather condition is poor. Since the solar panel 220 itself has a known configuration, the detailed description of the configuration is omitted.

  The solar panel 220 includes a plurality of solar modules and receives sunlight through the light receiving surface to produce electric power. Generally, the solar modules are excellent in efficiency at a temperature of about 20 to 30 degrees. The higher the temperature, the lower the efficiency of electricity production. Such heat affects the life of the solar module and has many effects on the electrical production of the solar panel 220. Therefore, for efficient electrical production or life of the solar panel 220, it is important to effectively cool or discharge the heat generated during the electrical production.

  FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a floating body of a seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention. (A) of FIG. 4 is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of a floating body, and (b) of FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the floating body.

  A hollow is formed inside the floating body 210 to form a plurality of partitions 211, and the partitions 211 form a cooling channel 212 through which the cooling water flows. In the process of the cooling water flowing through the cooling channel 212, the heat of the solar panel 220 is absorbed. The cooling channel 212 may be provided to open the lid and replace the internal cooling water. The floating body 210 is floating in the sea water, and can gradually move or shake little by little by the waves, the underwater drone 100 or the like. Thereby, the cooling water inside flows in the inside of the cooling channel 212. Therefore, in the present invention, the floating body 210 floats on the water for wireless communication of the underwater drone 100, and also plays a role as a cooling module of the solar panel 220 in addition to the antenna 230 being attached.

  In the present embodiment, the floating body 210 is formed of cross-linkable polyethylene (XLPE). By being formed of the crosslinkable polyethylene material, the entire weight is light, and the floating body 210 does not sink in the seawater even when the cooling water for cooling the solar panel 220 is stored therein.

  The floating body 210 is also adhered to the back of the solar panel 220 by an adhesive. When the floating body 210 is adhered (fixed) to the solar panel 220, the process is simple because an adhesive may be applied to only one side of the floating body 210.

  On the other hand, the size of the solar panel 220 is smaller than the size of the floating body 210. Specifically, although the cross section of the solar panel 220 has the same shape as the cross section of the floating body 210, it is provided smaller than the cross section of the floating body 210, and thus the solar panel 220 is on the upper surface of the floating body 210. If it adheres, the edge of the floating body 210 will remain as a spare space. A wall 213 is formed at the edge of the upper surface of the floating body 210. The wall body 213 has a predetermined height and is formed to project upward from the edge of the upper surface of the floating body 210. Direct contact of seawater with the solar panel 220 can be prevented to the utmost by the wall, and the decrease in durability of the solar panel 220 can be prevented.

  The antenna 230 is configured to enable wireless communication between the underwater drone 100 and the base station 300. In the present embodiment, the antenna 230 is mounted on the top of the solar panel 220. In the present embodiment, the antenna 230 is provided to support wireless communication via WIFI. That is, the wireless communication module of the underwater drone 100 is provided to be able to wirelessly communicate via the antenna 230, and wirelessly communicated with the base station 300 via this to be controlled by the base station 300, to control seafloor survey information in real time or at fixed intervals Can be transmitted to the base station 300.

  The withdrawing unit 240 is configured to protect the in-water drone 100, and is attached to the lower portion, preferably the lower surface of the floating body 210, and includes a take-up reel 241 and a driving unit (not shown). As described above, the underwater drone 100 is connected to the withdrawing unit 240 via the rope 260. The rope 260 is wound around the take-up reel 241 of the lifting section 240. The in-water drone 100 is connected to the withdrawing unit 240 by the rope 260 to prevent the in-water drone 100 from being swallowed and separated by the ocean current or the like. In particular, when the underwater drone 100 is not properly controlled on the seabed, it is difficult to grasp the position and the like, and recovery is impossible, but it is prevented by the rope 260 from being lost. In addition, since the position of the floating body 210 can be easily grasped via the GPS, and the underwater drone 100 can only be always located near the floating body 210, the position of the underwater drone 100 can be easily grasped. Further, when an abnormality occurs in the underwater drone 100, the rope 260 can be wound by the take-up reel 241, and the underwater drone 100 can be easily recovered.

  On the other hand, since the underwater drone 100 is connected to the rope 260, the action range is limited to the length of the rope 260. However, this does not cause any problems in the seafloor exploration. The buoy 200 can be easily located via the GPS module, and unlike a ship, it can move without restriction between reefs, between rock walls, etc. The underwater drone 100 is connected to the buoy 200 Since the float 200 is free to move, the underwater drone 100 can also move freely for seafloor exploration. Also, if the rope 260 is tied to a vessel, it may be affected by the vessel, such as the roar of the vessel during the search, but if it is tied to the buoy 200, any influence will be lost. More accurate exploration is possible without receiving it.

  The take-up reel 241 is driven by a drive unit. At this time, the drive unit can easily drive and control the take-up reel 241 on the sea by being supplied with power by the solar panel 220.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a state in which the underwater drone of the seafloor exploration system using the underwater drone according to an embodiment of the present invention is withdrawn.

  The protection unit 250 is configured to protect the withdrawn underwater drone 100, and includes a fixing unit 251 and a bending unit 252. The fixing portion 251 is formed in an annular shape, and is mounted on the outer peripheral surface of the floating body 210 provided in a cylindrical shape. At this time, it is preferable that the fixing portion 251 be floated on the sea level. The bending portion 252 is formed in an annular shape, and is bendably attached to the end of the fixing portion 251. Normally, the bent portion 252 is extended in the direction parallel to the fixed portion 251 and floats on the sea level. That is, when the underwater drone 100 performs underwater exploration, the fixed portion 251 and the bent portion 252 float on the floating body 210 and the sea level, so that the floating body 210 can be prevented from falling due to waves.

  The bending portion 252 is bent and descends below the surface of the water if the take-up reel 241 winds the rope 260 and the submersible drone 100 is pulled up due to an abnormality in the submersible drone 100 or for other reasons. At this time, the bent portion 252 is preferably bent so as to be perpendicular to the fixing portion 251. Since the take-up reel 241 is attached to the lower part of the floating body 210, the underwater drone 100 is located below the floating body 210. Then, since the bent portion 252 is perpendicular to the fixing portion 251, the underwater drone 100 is disposed in the space formed by the bent portion 252. By blocking the underwater drone 100 from the outside by the bending portion 252, other factors can be prevented from affecting the underwater drone 100, and the underwater drone 100 can be protected.

  The configurations of the antenna 230, the driving unit, and the like described above are controlled by the user of the base station 300, but are controlled by receiving a user's command via wireless communication via the control unit (not shown).

  Therefore, according to the present invention, by communicating with the underwater drone at the ground base station via the buoy on the sea, it is possible to easily control the underwater drone and transmit seafloor survey information to the base station in real time. A seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone with high solar efficiency is provided.

  The use of all examples or exemplary terms (e.g., etc.) in the present invention is merely for the purpose of describing the present invention in detail, and is not limited by the scope of the claims. The scope of the present invention is not limited by the term. Also, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that design conditions and factors may be employed within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof in which various modifications, combinations, and alterations are added. .

  Therefore, the spirit of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments described above, and not only the claims described below, but also equivalent or equivalent to the claims of the present invention. The full scope can be said to fall within the scope of the inventive idea.

1000 Submarine exploration system using underwater drone 100 Underwater drone 110 Body part 120 Underwater camera 130 Light 200 Float part 210 Floating body 220 Solar panel 230 Antenna 240 Lifting part 250 Protective part 260 Rope

Claims (6)

A system for transmitting seafloor exploration information to a base station, comprising
An underwater drone comprising: a main body to which a vertical propeller and a horizontal propeller are mounted; and an underwater camera mounted to a front end of the main body;
A float suspended above the water and enabling wireless communication between the underwater drone and the base station;
Equipped with
The buoy is
A floating body formed of cross-linkable polyethylene (XLPE) and suspended on water, a solar panel adhered to the upper surface of the floating body, and the upper surface of the solar panel, the underwater It has an antenna which enables wireless communication between the drone and the base station, a withdrawal part connected to the underwater drone and selectively withdrawing the underwater drone, and a protection part attached to the outer peripheral surface of the floating body. , Submarine exploration system using underwater drone. A wall of a predetermined height is formed at the edge of the upper surface of the floating body,
The underwater exploration system using an underwater drone according to claim 1, wherein the solar panel is provided in a size smaller than the floating body.   The underwater exploration system using an underwater drone according to claim 1, wherein a hollow is formed inside the floating body, and a flow path is formed by a plurality of partition walls. The withdrawal section is
The underwater drone according to claim 1, comprising: a take-up reel on which a rope to which the underwater drone is connected is wound, and a drive unit which is supplied with power through the solar panel to drive the take-up reel. Ocean bottom exploration system. The protection unit is
A bent portion which is annularly formed, is attached to the outer peripheral surface of the floating body, and is fixed to the fixed portion floating on water and foldably coupled to the fixed portion and bent when the underwater drone is pulled up by the withdrawal portion. A seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to claim 1, comprising:   The seafloor exploration system using an underwater drone according to claim 1, wherein the underwater camera is a virtual reality camera.