JPH0457558B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention provides an underwater robot in which a command unit on the surface of the water and an underwater robot are unmanned and unroped, and the underwater robot is not connected with a cable or the like. This relates to an underwater robot that navigates underwater based on commands from a command unit above and is used, for example, to observe conditions underwater (including under the sea).

[Conventional technology]

Conventionally, for example, when observing underwater conditions (including under the sea), either a manned submersible with built-in photographic equipment such as a television camera or a still camera, or an unmanned underwater vehicle connected to the mother ship with a cable or other cable. Robots were used.

In the case of a manned submersible, it is operated by a person on board the submersible, so it has the advantage of being able to navigate while avoiding underwater obstacles.

Further, as an unmanned underwater robot with a cable, for example, an ``underwater inspection robot'' described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 61-200089 is known.

In this conventional underwater inspection robot, the diving device is suspended by a rope consisting of a cable, and this cable also functions as a power cable to a device that electrically controls the movement of the diving device underwater. It also functions as a transmission cable for electronically transmitting underwater observation results to ground control stations, and has the characteristics of a composite cable.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

However, while the above-mentioned manned submersible has the above-mentioned advantages, in the event of an accident, it may immediately lead to a major accident that could endanger human life. It was unusable. Another problem was that, due to the health of the people on board the submersible, it was not possible to conduct underwater observations for long periods of time.

In addition, in the case of the above-mentioned underwater inspection robot, since there is a cable that serves multiple functions,
This cable becomes a hindrance, preventing the diving device from moving freely and reducing its performance, which poses a major problem in underwater observation.

Furthermore, when an underwater robot is connected to a mother ship using a cable or the like, accidents have occurred in which the cable becomes entangled with the screws of the mother ship or breaks.

As described above, the use of cables is a major cause of problems such as a decline in the motion performance of diving equipment (underwater robots) and problems such as cables getting entangled in screws or breaking. In particular, when the water flow is fast, there is a problem that the faster the water flow, the more serious the effect will be.

This invention was devised in view of the above-mentioned problems and to solve the problems, and its purpose is to eliminate the disadvantages of manned or cabled systems, and to solve the problems of unmanned systems. Although it is an untethered underwater robot, it can freely navigate underwater based on commands from the command center on the surface of the water, and automatically avoid underwater obstacles.Furthermore, in the event of water leakage inside the underwater robot, The object of the present invention is to provide an underwater robot that can detect this, float up, and prevent the underwater robot from sinking.

[Means for solving problems]

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention includes an underwater robot consisting of an unmanned and unroped underwater robot, a receiving section that receives commands from a command section on the water surface, an obstacle detection sensor that detects underwater obstacles, and an underwater robot. a thruster that adjusts the inclination of the underwater robot, a propulsion unit that moves the underwater robot, a diving and surfacing mechanism that makes the underwater robot submerge and rise, a water leakage detection sensor that detects water leakage inside the robot, and the receiving unit and obstacle detection sensor. The control mechanism is equipped with at least a control mechanism that controls the thruster and the propulsion section based on information from the above, and the obstacle detection sensor is composed of three or more, and the control mechanism is configured to control the water bottom ( (or seabed) with a horizontal plane, calculate a command angle from the angles formed with the plurality of horizontal planes, and, based on this command angle, set the underwater robot to avoid obstacles while navigating. The submersible robot is configured to control the thruster and the propulsion section, and also control the diving and levitation mechanism based on water leakage information from the water leakage detection sensor to levitate the underwater robot.

[Effect]

The present invention having the above configuration operates as follows.

That is, the underwater robot is transported to the water area to be observed, and after the underwater robot is submerged in the water area, commands are issued to the underwater robot from a command unit on the surface of the water. Commands from the command unit are received by the receiving unit,
That information is sent to the control mechanism. The control mechanism drives the thruster and propulsion unit as appropriate depending on the content of the information, and allows the underwater robot to navigate the underwater area to be observed. Then, the underwater situation is observed using, for example, observation equipment equipped on the submersible underwater robot.

During this time, if an underwater obstacle is encountered, the obstacle detection sensor detects the obstacle, and the information is sent to the control mechanism, which drives the thruster and propulsion unit as appropriate depending on the content of the information. to automatically avoid underwater obstacles and observe the underwater situation.

In addition, if water leaks inside the underwater robot, the water leak detection sensor will detect the leak, and the information will be sent to the control mechanism, which will operate the submersion and surfacing mechanism based on that information, and the underwater robot will be activated. Prevents underwater robots from sinking by levitating them.

[Example] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail based on the example shown in the drawings.

Here, FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a command unit provided in a mother ship and an underwater robot underwater, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the underwater robot, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the underwater robot.

In the figure, an underwater robot 1 consisting of an unmanned and untethered robot.
The robot body 2 consists of a pressure-resistant container, a receiving unit 4 that receives commands from a command unit 3 on the water surface, an obstacle detection sensor 5 that detects obstacles in the water, and observation equipment that observes underwater conditions. 6, a thruster 7 that adjusts the inclination of the underwater robot 1, a propulsion unit 8 that moves the underwater robot 1, a diving and surfacing mechanism 9 that makes the underwater robot 1 submerge and rise, the receiving unit 4, and an obstacle detection sensor 5. A control mechanism 1 that controls the thruster 7 and the propulsion section 8 based on information from the
It consists of 0, etc.

The robot main body 2, which is a pressure-resistant container, is made of, for example, FRP (reinforced plastic) material with a low specific gravity, and is hollow inside. The upper surface of the robot body 2 is equipped with a receiving section 4 that receives commands from a command section 3 on the water surface.

The receiving section 4 is composed of, for example, an ultrasonic receiver, and is configured to receive ultrasonic waves from the mother ship 11 on which the command section 3 on the water surface is installed. For this reason, the mother ship 11 is provided with an ultrasonic transmitter 12 that emits ultrasonic waves. Then, the command section 3 on the mother ship 11
The command from the robot body 2 is replaced with an ultrasonic signal and transmitted from the ultrasonic transmitter 12.
The underwater robot 1 can receive the command from the command unit 3 and transmit the command from the command unit 3 to the underwater robot 1.

The underwater robot 1 is located on the front side of the robot body 2.
In order to be able to detect and automatically avoid obstacles on the underwater (or ocean floor) while navigating underwater, five obstacle detection sensors as shown in FIGS. 4A to 4D are provided, for example. . The obstacle detection sensor 5 is designed to detect obstacles using ultrasonic waves. In this system, a transducer is attached to the front part of the underwater robot 1 at a predetermined angle, and the black circle mark in the figure is an ultrasonic sensor (ultrasonic transducer). FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the mounting angle of the sensor, and the actual mounting location is divided into upper and lower parts of the head dome 13 so that it does not interfere with photographing, etc.

The obstacle detection sensor 5 detects six ultrasonic waves: downward 5-1, diagonally lower front 5-2, front 5-3, diagonally upper front 5-4, diagonally lower right 5-5, and diagonally lower left 5-6. It consists of a vibrator.

As shown in FIG. 4D, the obstacle detection sensors 5 provided in the lower part 5-1 and the lower front part 5-2 detect the angle θ ₁ that the water bottom (or seabed) makes with the horizontal plane and the lower part in the front part 5-2. -2 and the output from the obstacle detection sensor provided in front 5-3 to calculate θ ₂ .

Here, as the command angle θ, θ=k ₁ θ ₁ +k ₂ θ ₂ (choose the optimal values for k ₁ and k ₂ ) Underwater robot 1 controls the angle data according to the topography of the underwater surface (or seabed surface). By sending the water to the mechanism 10, the angle of the propulsion section 8 is controlled, making it possible to navigate along the topography of the water bottom while maintaining a constant distance from the water bottom.

In addition, when the obstacle detection sensors 5 such as the front 5-3 and the left and right sensors 5-4 and 5-5 detect an obstacle, the information is immediately transmitted to the control mechanism 10 installed inside the robot body 2. to make a right turn, left turn, or climb to avoid obstacles.

All such judgment criteria are based on the control mechanism 10.
The underwater robot 1 is designed to automatically perform these judgments, avoidance actions, etc., as it is built into the firmware-based control program.

The observation equipment 6 that observes the underwater situation is
It is built into the robot body 2, and is also installed inside a head dome 13 provided on the front side of the robot body 2. The head dome 13 has a hemispherical shape and is made of, for example, transparent pressure-resistant glass. For example, a television camera or a still camera is used as the observation device 6, but an ultrasonic transmitting/receiving device may be used as the observation device 6, especially when three-dimensional observation is required.

The contents observed by this observation device 6 are recorded in a recording device, and the contents that are taken out from inside the robot body 2 after recovering the underwater robot 1 and the contents observed by the observation device 6 are recorded. There is a signal that is replaced with a signal and transmitted to the command unit 3 on the water surface. In the case of the type that transmits information to the command section 3, the underwater robot 1 is provided with a transmitter, and the mother ship 11 on the command section 3 side is provided with a receiver.

At the rear of the robot body 2, a cross-shaped tail is provided, and a thruster 7 for adjusting the inclination of the underwater robot 1 is provided. The thruster 7 is formed on the rear side of the robot body 2. The thruster 7 functions to adjust the trim angle of the underwater robot 1. The thruster 7 is controlled by a control mechanism 10.

Furthermore, a pair of propulsion parts 8 for moving the underwater robot 1 are installed on the left and right sides of the robot body 2. The inside of each propulsion section 8 is protected by a cover having a substantially warhead shape, and a motor, gears, etc. are housed inside the cover.
A screw for propulsion is provided at the rear of the propulsion section 8, and a cylindrical duct is formed on the circumferential surface of the screw.

The propulsion section 8 is rotatably attached to the side surface of the robot body 2 and can rotate horizontally and vertically with respect to the robot body 2.
Therefore, by changing the angle of the propulsion section 8 with respect to the robot body 2 and controlling the rotation speed of the motor of the propulsion section 8, it is possible to freely move in three-dimensional space. These propulsion units 8 are controlled by a control mechanism 10.

Further, inside the robot main body 2, a submersible and levitation mechanism 9 for submerging and surfacing the underwater robot 1 is provided. The diving and flotation mechanism 9 includes a compressed gas cylinder, a ballast tank 9a, and the like. The ballast tank 9a is formed on both left and right sides of the upper part of the robot body 2, and compressed air from a compressed gas cylinder is sent into the ballast tank 9a to discharge internal water or seawater, or water or seawater can be pumped into the ballast tank 9a. The underwater weight of the underwater robot 1 is adjusted by controlling the opening and closing of a solenoid valve for injection, thereby enabling the underwater robot 1 to dive and surface.

Control of the diving and surfacing mechanism 9 is performed by a control mechanism 10, and operations such as diving and surfacing of the underwater robot 1 are transmitted by ultrasonic waves according to commands from a mother ship 11 equipped with a command unit 3, but a separate timer mechanism, etc. It is also possible to control the ascent start time. Further, when the underwater robot 1 is in a dangerous situation, it is automatically controlled to emerge in an emergency.

For example, when water leaks inside the robot body 2 of the underwater robot 1, the control mechanism 10 captures the outputs of water leakage sensors placed at various locations, and the robot is quickly brought to the surface. Furthermore, when an abnormality occurs in the thruster 7 or the motor of the propulsion section 8, for example, when a thermal relay functions to detect this situation, the robot is immediately brought to the surface.

In order to make the above system more complete, it is important to maintain the posture of the underwater robot 1. For example, even if an obstacle can be detected by the obstacle detection sensor 5, the prerequisite is that the underwater robot 1 maintains its posture horizontally. Since this is impossible, the underwater robot 1 has a built-in tilt sensor in each of the heel and trim directions, and uses the output of these tilt sensors to create a system that uses the output of the tilt sensor to calculate corrections for distances to obstacles, angles to the bottom (or ocean floor), etc. There is. It is also possible to continuously hold data from these ultrasonic sensors and investigate the topography of the underwater (or ocean floor).

The above control mechanism 10 controls the thruster of the underwater robot 1 based on information from a receiving section 4 that receives commands from a mother ship 11 provided with a command section 3 and an obstacle detection sensor 5 that detects underwater obstacles. 7 and the propulsion section 8, and has a built-in programmed computer. Control mechanism 10
It is also possible to control the submergence and surfacing mechanism 9 and handle correction calculations for the attitude control of the underwater robot 1, if necessary. This control mechanism 10 is built into the robot body 2.

In addition, bottom landing legs 14 are provided at the bottom of the robot body 2.
is provided.

Next, the effects based on the configuration of the above embodiment will be explained below.

First, the underwater robot 1 is transported to a body of water (or a sea area) to be observed. The underwater robot 1 is the command unit 3
It is loaded onto a mother ship 11 equipped with a water tank and transported to a predetermined water area. The underwater robot 1 carried by the mother ship 11 to a predetermined water area is lowered from the mother ship 11 to the water surface (or sea surface).

The underwater robot 1 lowered to the water surface is adjusted by injecting water or seawater into the ballast tank 9a of the submergence and flotation mechanism 9 so that the specific gravity is approximately the same as that of the water (or the sea). Then, the underwater robot 1 is separated from the mother ship 11 when the specific gravity of the underwater robot 1 becomes substantially the same as the specific gravity of the underwater (or underwater) environment.

In this case, the underwater robot 1 has the following information in advance:
Since a detachable weight is connected, the underwater robot 1 uses this weight to submerge. Then, below the head dome 13 of the underwater robot 1 5-
The underwater robot 1 moves to a predetermined depth while measuring the distance to the seabed with the obstacle detection sensor 5 installed in the underwater robot 1.
When the robot dives, the weight is separated from the underwater robot 1. The weight separation mechanism may be configured such that, for example, when the horizontal propulsion section 8 is rotated to a vertical position, a gripping mechanism that grips the weight automatically opens to separate the weight.

Since the underwater robot 1 from which the weight has been separated has a specific gravity approximately equal to that of the water (or the sea), its descent stops and it floats at that position.

After reaching such a state, a command from the command unit 3 is sent to the underwater robot 1. The command from the command unit 3 is converted into an ultrasonic signal and then transmitted from an ultrasonic transmitter 12 provided in the mother ship 11. Ultrasonic waves emitted from the ultrasonic transmitter 12 are received by the receiving section 4 of the underwater robot 1 floating in the water.
The commands received by the receiving section 4 are sent to the control mechanism 10, judged by the computer of this control mechanism 10, and based on the judgment, the thrusters 7 and propulsion section 8 of the underwater robot 1 are controlled. , the underwater movement of the underwater robot 1 can be controlled.

In this way, the underwater robot 1 navigates underwater in the area of water to be observed, and the observation device 6 built into the head dome 13 of the underwater robot 1 observes the underwater situation, and the observation results are recorded. It will be recorded in the device or transmitted to the command unit 3 on the mother ship 11.

Further, when the underwater robot 1 encounters an underwater obstacle while navigating underwater, the obstacle detection sensor 5
detects obstacles. Front 5 as shown in Figure 4
When the obstacle detection sensors 5 such as -3, left and right sensors 5-4 and 5-5 detect an obstacle, the information is immediately sent to the control mechanism 10 installed inside the robot body 2. Depending on the content of the information, drive the thruster 7 and propulsion unit 8 as appropriate,
In order to avoid obstacles, a right turn, a left turn, or a climb is performed.

All such judgment criteria are based on the control mechanism 10.
The underwater robot 1 is designed to automatically perform these judgments, avoidance actions, etc., as it is built into the firmware control program. This allows you to observe underwater conditions while automatically avoiding underwater obstacles.

When the underwater observation is finished and the underwater robot 1 is brought to the surface, the underwater robot 1 is brought to the surface via the control mechanism 10 or directly by a command from the command unit 3 or by the operation of a timer mechanism as necessary. Activate mechanism 9. This operation is performed by sending compressed air from a compressed gas cylinder into the ballast tank 9a to discharge the water and seawater inside, thereby making the ballast tank 9a lighter, thereby making the specific gravity of the underwater robot 1 smaller than that of water (or seawater). The underwater robot 1 is made to float.

It should be noted that this invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the command unit 3
Although we have explained the case where it is installed on land, it may also be installed on land.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As is clear from the above description, according to the underwater robot according to the present invention, the submersible underwater robot and the command unit on the surface of the water are not connected by cables or other cables, and are completely unmanned and untethered. It is an underwater robot consisting of.

In other words, since there is no cable from the command center on the surface of the water, there are various problems caused by cables, such as a decrease in the maneuverability of underwater robots, and when the command center is installed on the mother ship. This eliminates inconveniences such as cables getting tangled with the mothership's screws or breaking. In particular, it exhibits a diving function with excellent maneuverability even in areas with fast water flow, making it possible to observe underwater conditions, for example.
As described above, the underwater robot according to the present invention can freely navigate underwater and has excellent characteristics not found in conventional cabled underwater robots.

Moreover, because it is unmanned, underwater observations can be carried out safely in any desired body of water without any danger, and long-term observations are also possible because there is no need to consider human health. Become.

Furthermore, the underwater robot according to the present invention has an algorithm for operating with respect to various pre-assumed underwater (or seabed) topography patterns, and is capable of responding to underwater obstacles as well. (or seabed) with a horizontal plane, calculate a command angle from the angles it makes with the multiple horizontal planes, and control the thruster and propulsion unit based on this command angle, automatically without making an emergency stop. Since the robot performs an action to avoid the situation, there is no need for the operator at the command center to be conscious of this, and therefore, there is no need to worry about troublesome operations.

In addition to the above-mentioned effects, if water leaks inside the underwater robot, the water leak detection sensor detects the water leak, the information is sent to the control mechanism, and the control mechanism activates the submersion and surfacing mechanism based on the information. By activating it and making the underwater robot levitate, it is possible to prevent an expensive underwater robot from sinking.

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a high-performance underwater robot that is much easier to use and safer, and its contribution to industry is enormous.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

The drawings show an embodiment of the underwater robot according to the present invention, in which FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a command unit provided in a mother ship and an underwater robot underwater, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the underwater robot, and FIG. Figure 3 is a side view of the underwater robot, Figures 4 A to D are conceptual diagrams of the installation of the obstacle detection sensor, A is a plan view of the head dome, B is a front view of the head dome, and C is a front view of the head dome. Right side view, D
is a diagram for measuring topographical data of the water bottom. Explanation of symbols, 1... Underwater robot, 2... Robot body, 3... Command unit, 4... Receiving unit, 5... Obstacle detection sensor, 6... Observation equipment, 7... Thruster, 8... ... Propulsion section, 9 ... Submerged levitation mechanism, 9
a... Ballast tank, 10... Control mechanism, 11
... Mother ship, 12 ... Ultrasonic transmitter, 13 ... Head dome, 14 ... Legs for bottoming.

Claims (1)

[Claims] 1. An unmanned underwater robot that is equipped with a receiving unit that receives commands from a command unit on the surface of the water, an obstacle detection sensor that detects obstacles underwater, a thruster that adjusts the inclination of the underwater robot, and an underwater robot. The thruster and the propulsion unit are controlled based on the information from the propulsion unit that makes the underwater robot move, the submersion and levitation mechanism that makes the underwater robot submerge and rise, the water leakage detection sensor that detects water leakage inside the robot, the reception unit, and the obstacle detection sensor. the obstacle detection sensor is comprised of three or more,
The control mechanism calculates the angle that the water bottom (or seabed) makes with a horizontal plane based on the information from each of the two obstacle sensors, calculates a command angle from the angles that the water bottom (or seabed) makes with a plurality of horizontal planes, and applies the command angle to the command angle. Based on the information, the thruster and the propulsion unit are controlled so that the underwater robot avoids obstacles while navigating, and the submerged and levitation mechanism is controlled based on the water leak information from the water leak detection sensor to cause the underwater robot to surface. An underwater robot characterized by: