JPWO2017146156A1 - Geological sample collection method and working device with ground biting function - Google Patents

Abstract

  An apparatus for collecting a core sample from the seabed ground includes an airframe 10, four flippers 30 that are pivotably provided on the front left and right and rear left and right of the airframe 10, and a coring mechanism 20 provided on the airframe 10. Is provided as a basic configuration. A hook-shaped locking member 70 is rotatably provided at the tip of the flipper 30. With the flipper 30 in the unfolded position and the tip 70a of the locking member 70 protruding from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper 30, the tip 70a of the locking member 70 is turned into the seabed ground by rotating the flipper 30 downward. Bite. After this biting control, the coring mechanism 20 is operated to collect a core sample from the seabed.

Description

  The present invention relates to a method for collecting a geological sample from the ground by coring for the purpose of, for example, surveying resources on the seabed, and an apparatus suitable for operations such as collecting a geological sample.

It is known that there are many submarine mineral resources in the seas near Japan, but since it is distributed in a vast sea area, the detailed situation has not yet been grasped.
Against this background, it is required to investigate the detailed distribution and amount of marine mineral resources.

  A geological sample collection device disclosed in Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2005-155109) includes a large heavy machine body and a coring mechanism provided in the machine body. The aircraft is suspended from a mother ship on the ocean with a wire and cored while seated on the seabed.

  Patent Document 2 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2011-196140) discloses a detailed structure of a geological sample collection device on land. This device is provided with a coring mechanism at the front of the airframe, and equipped with a pair of crawlers on the left and right sides of the airframe. The crawler moves to the destination and performs coring at the destination.

  A seabed exploration robot disclosed in Patent Document 3 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-274669) is equipped with an underwater moving body such as a thruster on the airframe, and a total of four crawler-type flippers on the front left and right and rear left and right It has. This robot is relatively lightweight, can be moved to the destination by remote control from the mother ship, and can collect minerals on the seabed with a robot hand or the like.

  In the geological sample collection device of Patent Document 1, it is possible to collect a geological sample (core sample) in the seabed ground, but it is necessary to carry a heavy device up to the destination on the mother ship and drop it to the destination. Cannot be investigated efficiently.

  The geological sample collection device of Patent Document 2 is used on land. However, if this collection device is used on the sea floor, it takes time to move if the weight of the device is large, and if it is light, the reaction at the time of coring will occur. The force cannot be received and coring cannot be performed in a short time with a strong excavation force.

  In the geological sample collection device of Patent Document 3, minerals can be collected efficiently at many points, but it is not possible to collect a geological sample inside the ground simply by collecting minerals exposed on the seabed. Even if this sampling device is equipped with a coring mechanism, this sampling device is capable of swimming in the sea by an underwater moving body, so the underwater weight is small, and the reaction force of the coring cannot be received. Although it is conceivable to apply a force toward the ground to the aircraft (a force against the reaction force of the coring) by the underwater moving body, this force is unstable and the coring cannot be performed stably.

The present invention was made to solve the above problems, and in the geological sample collection method,
A step of preparing a geological sample collection device including an airframe, a coring mechanism provided in the airframe, and a ground biting structure provided in the airframe;
A process of biting the ground biting structure on the ground;
After the ground biting process, a coring process of collecting a geological sample by coring the ground with the coring mechanism,
It is provided with.
According to the above method, since the coring is performed with the sampling device biting the ground, even if the sampling device is relatively light, the reaction force at the time of coring can be received and workability can be improved with a strong excavation force. Coring can be performed.

Preferably, the ground biting structure includes four flippers rotatably provided on the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part, and a locking member provided on a tip part of each of the flippers. These locking members are movable between a retracted position whose tip is retracted from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper and a protruding position where the tip protrudes from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper.
In the ground biting process, the front flipper is deployed forward, the rear flipper is deployed rearward, and the front and rear flippers are lowered with the locking member protruding from the tip of the flipper. The locking member is hooked on the ground.
According to this method, the locking member can be reliably hooked on the ground by using the locking member that can project and retract.

Preferably, the ground biting structure includes four flippers that are pivotably provided on the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part of the fuselage, and a saddle that is pivotally provided on the tip of each of the flippers. A locking member having a shape, and by rotating the locking member from a retracted position where the tip of the locking member is retracted from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper, the tip of the locking member can protrude from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper. Is possible,
In the ground biting step, the locking member is rotated and hooked on the ground in a state where the front flipper is expanded forward and the rear flipper is expanded rearward.
According to this method, the locking member can be hooked on the ground when the amount of downward rotation of the flipper is small, that is, when the lift amount of the airframe is small.

Preferably, the ground biting structure includes four flippers rotatably provided on the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part, and a locking projection is provided at least on the outer periphery of the tip part of each of the flippers. Provided,
In the ground biting step, with the front flipper deployed forward and the rear flipper deployed rearward, the front and rear flippers are pivoted downward to hook the locking projections onto the ground. .
According to this method, it is possible to bite into the ground with a relatively simple structure without using a locking member that can project and retract.

Preferably, the engaging protrusion of the flipper has a hook shape, and the front end of the engaging protrusion of the front flipper and the front end of the engaging protrusion of the rear flipper are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction,
In a state where the front flipper is deployed forward and the rear flipper is deployed rearward, the front end of the locking projection is below the front-rear center of the airframe below the front end of the front and rear flippers. Turn to.
According to this method, the certainty of biting into the ground can be enhanced by the hook-shaped locking projection.

Preferably, the flipper has a crawler structure, and a grounding lug formed on the outer periphery of the endless strip at intervals in the circumferential direction is provided as the locking protrusion.
According to this method, it is possible to bite the ground using the grounding lug.

Preferably, the ground biting structure includes crawlers rotatably provided on the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part, and the endless strips of the crawler are circumferentially spaced from the ground lugs. Is provided,
In the ground biting process, the grounding lugs of the endless strips of the front and rear crawlers are hooked on the ground by rotationally driving the front crawler and the rear crawler in opposite directions.
According to this method, it is possible to bite the ground using the grounding lug of the crawler.

More preferably, the grounding lug has a bowl shape, and the tip of the grounding lug of the front crawler and the tip of the grounding lug of the rear crawler are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction, and the grounding lug is below each crawler. The tip of the lug faces the center in the longitudinal direction of the aircraft,
In the ground biting process, the crawler on the front side and the crawler on the rear side are rotationally driven in opposite directions so that the grounding lug advances toward the center in the front-rear direction of the machine body below each crawler.
According to this, the grounding lug having a bowl shape can be more reliably caught on the ground.

Preferably, the airframe includes an underwater moving body, and in the ground biting step, after confirming the ground biting state by driving the underwater moving body and applying a force in a direction away from the ground to the airframe. Then, the coring process is performed.
According to this method, coring can be performed after the biting to the ground is ensured.

In another aspect of the present invention, the work device includes a machine body and a ground biting structure that is provided in the machine body and bites the ground. According to this configuration, the work device can be stably installed on the ground.
Preferably, the airframe further includes a coring mechanism that collects a geological sample by performing coring of the ground, and the ground biting structure receives a reaction force accompanying the coring during the coring. . According to this configuration, even if the device itself is relatively light, coring can be performed with a strong excavation force, and a geological sample inside the ground can be collected with good workability.

Preferably, the ground biting structure is
a. Four flippers provided so as to be pivotable on the left and right of the front part and on the left and right of the rear part of the aircraft,
b. A flipper rotating mechanism for rotating each of the flippers;
c. A locking member for hooking the ground provided at the tip of each of the flippers, wherein the tip is retracted from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper, and the tip protrudes from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper. A locking member movable between the protruding positions;
d. An actuator for moving the locking member between the retracted position and the protruding position;
It has. According to this configuration, it is possible to reliably bite the ground by rotating the flipper downward with the locking member protruding.

Preferably, the locking member has a hook shape and is rotatably provided at a tip portion of the flipper, and a front end of the front locking member and a front end of the rear locking member are opposite in the circumferential direction. The front flipper is expanded forward by the flipper rotation mechanism and the rear flipper is expanded rearward, and the front locking member is rotated forward by the actuator. In the state where the rear locking member is rotated to protrude rearward, the front and rear locking members have their front ends facing downward.
According to this configuration, it is possible to better bite the ground by making the locking member a bowl shape.

Preferably, the locking member is linearly movable at the tip of the flipper, and the front flipper is developed forward by the flipper rotation mechanism, and the rear flipper is moved backward. The leading end of the locking member faces downward in a state in which the locking member is projected by the actuator.
More preferably, the locking member has a rod shape extending linearly in the moving direction and has a sharp tip.

Preferably, the ground biting structure is
a. Four flippers provided so as to be pivotable on the left and right of the front part and on the left and right of the rear part of the aircraft,
b. A flipper rotating mechanism for rotating each of the flippers;
With
A hook-shaped locking projection is provided on at least the outer periphery of the tip of each of the flippers, and the tip of the locking projection of the front flipper and the tip of the locking projection of the rear flipper are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction. direction,
When the front flipper is deployed forward and the rear flipper is deployed rearward, the front end of the locking projection faces the center in the front-rear direction of the airframe below the front end of the front and rear flippers. .

  Preferably, the ground biting structure includes four crawlers rotatably provided on the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part, and the endless strips of the crawler are spaced apart in the circumferential direction. Grounding lugs are provided, and these grounding lugs have a bowl shape, and the tip of the grounding lug of the front crawler and the grounding lug of the rear crawler are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction. The tip of the ground lug faces the front-rear direction center of the aircraft.

  According to the present invention, the working device can be stably installed on the ground. Further, when the working device is a geological sample collection device, the reaction force during coring can be received even if the device is relatively light, and coring can be performed with strong excavating force and with good workability.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a schematic side view of the geological sample collection device which makes 1st Embodiment of this invention, and shows the state which stored the flip-type locking member provided in the flipper and the flipper. It is a schematic side view of the same sampling device, and shows the flipper in a state where the flipper is rotated by about 180 ° from the storage position and deployed. It is a schematic side view of the same sampling device, and shows the flipper being unfolded and the locking member being protruded by being rotated by approximately 180 ° from the storage position. It is a schematic side view of the sampling device, and shows the locking member biting the seabed ground. It is a schematic plan view of the same sampling device, and shows the upper underwater moving body omitted. It is a schematic front view of the sampling device. It is an enlarged side view of the principal part of the sampling device. It is an enlarged plan view of the principal part of the same sampling device, and shows a partial cross section. It is an enlarged front view of the principal part of the sampling device, and shows a partial cross section. It is a flowchart of the biting control to the seabed ground performed before coring in the sampling device. It is a flowchart of the other biting control performed in the sampling device. It is a schematic side view of the geological sample collection device which makes 2nd Embodiment of this invention, and shows the state which expand | deployed the flipper and stored the direct-acting locking member. It is a side view of the collection device of a 2nd embodiment, and shows the state where the flipper was developed and the locking member was projected. It is a side view of the collection device of a 2nd embodiment, and shows the state where the above-mentioned locking member was made to project and the above-mentioned flipper was rotated below. It is a flowchart of the biting control to the seabed ground executed before coring in the sampling device of the second embodiment. It is a flowchart of the other biting control performed with the collection device of the second embodiment. It is a side view of the geological sample collection apparatus which makes 3rd Embodiment of this invention, and shows the state which expanded the flipper. It is a side view of the extraction device of a 3rd embodiment, and shows the state where the flipper was rotated below. It is a side view which expands and shows the principal part of the flipper of 3rd Embodiment. It is a schematic side view of the geological sample collection apparatus which makes 4th Embodiment of this invention, and shows it in the state rotated after the flipper was expand | deployed. It is a side view of the geological sample collection apparatus which makes 5th Embodiment of this invention.

Hereinafter, the apparatus (working apparatus) which collects the geological sample of the seabed ground which makes 1st Embodiment of this invention is demonstrated, referring FIGS. In order to facilitate understanding, front and rear, and left and right are clearly shown in FIGS.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 5, and 6, the sampling device includes a main body 10, a coring mechanism 20, and a ground biting structure A (denoted only by FIG. 1) as main components. . The ground biting structure A has four crawler-type flippers 30 (hereinafter referred to as flippers) that are rotatably provided on the airframe 10, and a locking member 70 that is rotatably provided on each of the flippers 30. doing.

The airframe 10 includes a base 11 having a planar rectangle and an underwater moving body 12 fixed to the upper surface of the base 11.
The underwater vehicle 12 is referred to as a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and has a well-known structure and will not be described in detail, but has a horizontal thruster composed of a pair of left and right propellers at the front and rear portions of the frame. In addition, vertical thrusters are provided at two left and right sides of the frame. The number and arrangement of these horizontal thrusters and vertical thrusters can be arbitrarily selected according to the ROV.
A video camera (not shown) is provided at the front of the frame of the underwater moving body 12. One video camera may be used, or a three-dimensional image may be obtained from a plurality of video cameras.

  A sealed box 15 is fixed to the base 11 of the airframe 10. The box 15 includes a transmitter / receiver (not shown), a controller 16 including a microcomputer and a motor driver, and a gyro sensor 17 (tilt sensor). Etc. are housed. A gyro sensor mounted on the ROV may be used.

The controller 16 operates in response to a communication command sent from a control device on the mother ship side via a cable (not shown) and a transmitter / receiver, and controls the thruster of the underwater vehicle 12 as will be described later. Travel control is performed, and the flipper 30 and the locking member 70 are swung (rotated). The cable also supplies power from the mother ship to the sampling device.
The gyro sensor 17 detects the inclination in the front-rear direction and the inclination in the left-right direction of the base 11 of the body 10.

The coring mechanism 20 is fixed to the center of the front portion of the base 11. Since this coring mechanism 20 is a well-known structure, it is schematically illustrated. Briefly, the coring mechanism 20 has a double cylinder structure of an outer excavation cylinder and an inner holding cylinder. The holding cylinder is supported so as not to be axially movable and rotatable with respect to the excavation cylinder. The excavation cylinder is moved downward and rotated, and the ground is dug down by an excavation bit provided at the lower end of the excavation cylinder to form a circular deep annular groove. Thereafter, by pulling up the excavation cylinder and the holding cylinder, the cylindrical core sample (geological sample) remaining inside the annular groove can be collected while being held in the holding cylinder. The coring mechanism 20 includes various improvements in addition to the well-known structure described above. For example, when the core sample is hard, a function of folding the core sample may be added. Further, the excavation cylinder and the holding cylinder may be held by different lifting mechanisms, and the core sample may be pulled up by the holding cylinder after excavation with the excavation cylinder.
The coring direction by the coring mechanism 20 is orthogonal to the base 11.

The four flippers 30 are supported by the support structure 40 so as to be rotatable (swing) around the rotation axis L on the left and right of the front portion and the left and right of the rear portion of the base 11.
As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, each of the flippers 30 includes a pair of elongated side plates 31 and 32 connected in parallel to each other, and base end portions (on the rotation axis L side) of the side plates 31 and 32. A driving sprocket wheel 33 (hereinafter referred to as a driving wheel) disposed between the end portions), a driven sprocket wheel 34 (hereinafter referred to as a driven wheel) disposed between the front end portions of the side plates 31 and 32, and the wheels 33, 34, and an endless strip 35 spanned over 34, and a rolling wheel 36 provided on the side plates 31 and 32 to support the endless strip 35.

  As shown in FIG. 8, the driving wheel 33 is fixed to a shaft 37 that is coaxial with the rotational axis L, and receives torque via the shaft 37 as will be described later. The shaft 37 is rotatably supported by the base end portions of the side plates 31 and 32. The driven wheel 34 is rotatably supported by a hollow shaft member 38 fixed to the front end portions of the side plates 31 and 32.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 8, the endless strip 35 has a chain 35a and a rigid ground lug 35b fixed to the outer periphery of the chain 35a at equal intervals. In other drawings, the endless strip 35 is shown in a simplified manner.

Next, the support structure 40 that supports the flipper 30 so as to be rotatable (swingable) will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. The support structure 40 is fixed to the side surface of the base 11 and extends vertically downward, and is spanned between the lower inner surface of the support plate 41 and the lower surface of the base 11 and fixed. A reinforcing bracket 42, an auxiliary plate 43 that is spaced apart from and parallel to the lower outer surface of the support plate 41, a plurality of pin-shaped spacers 44 that fix the auxiliary plate 43 to the support plate 41, and the auxiliary plate And a cylindrical support tube 45 fixed to the outer surface of 43. The support cylinder 45 is coaxial with the rotation axis L.
A strain gauge 49 (load sensor) is attached to the bracket 42.

  As shown in FIGS. 7 to 9, the drive mechanism 50 (flipper rotation mechanism) for swinging the flipper 30 includes a motor 51, a pulley 52 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 51, and the pulley 52. A pulley 53 positioned below the belt, a belt 54 spanned between the pulleys 52 and 53, and a ring-shaped spacer 55 for fixing the lower pulley 53 to the side plate 31 inside the flipper 30 described above. ing. The pulley 53 and the spacer 55 are coaxial with the rotation axis L.

The support cylinder 45 of the support structure 40 supports the pulley 53 and the spacer 55 via the bushing 46 so that the pulley 53 and the spacer 55 can rotate, whereby the entire flipper 30 can be rotated about the rotation axis L. I support it.
Further, the support cylinder 45 supports the shaft 37 via a bearing 47 so as to be rotatable, and thus supports the driving wheel 33 so as to be rotatable.

  The driving mechanism 60 for rotationally driving the driving wheel 33 of the flipper 30 includes a motor 61, a pulley 62 fixed to the output shaft of the motor 61, a pulley 63 positioned below the pulley 62, and these pulleys And a belt 64 laid around 62 and 63. The lower pulley 63 is fixed to the shaft 37.

  A plate-shaped locking member 70 is rotatably provided at the tip of each flipper 30. More specifically, a motor 71 (actuator) is accommodated in the hollow shaft member 38 of the flipper 30, and the output shaft of the motor 71 projects through the outer side plate 32 and is locked to the output shaft. The base end portion of the member 70 is fixed.

  The locking member 70 has a hook shape bent substantially at a right angle, and has a sharp tip 70a. The circumferential direction of the tip 70a of the locking member 70 provided on the front flipper 30 and the tip 70a of the locking member 70 provided on the rear flipper 30 are different. 1 to 4, the front end 70a of the front locking member 70 faces in the counterclockwise direction, and the front end 70a of the rear locking member 70 faces in the clockwise direction.

  The sampling device having the above configuration is used to collect a geological sample in the deep sea bottom. The operator of the mother ship operates the thruster of the underwater vehicle 12 by remotely operating the control device while watching the video from the video camera of the collection device, swimming the collection device in the sea, and Land in the vicinity of During this movement, as shown in FIG. 1, the crawler flipper 30 is in the retracted position. That is, the front flipper 30 is tilted to the rear, and the rear flipper 30 is tilted to the front. The locking member 70 is also in a retracted position that does not protrude from the outer periphery of the endless strip 35 of the flipper 30.

  Next, as shown in FIG. 2, the flipper 30 is set to the unfolded position. That is, the front flipper 30 is rotated by approximately 180 ° from the state of FIG. 1 by driving the motor 51 and tilted to the front side, and the rear flipper 30 is rotated by approximately 180 ° from the state of FIG. Defeat.

In the unfolded state of the flipper 30, the driving wheel 33 is rotated by driving the motor 61 of each flipper 30, and the endless strip 35 is moved to travel to the destination. Since the flipper 30 is deployed as described above, the vehicle can travel stably to the destination.
Each flipper 30 can move forward and backward independently. As a result, the airframe 10 can turn as well as move forward and backward.

  After the sampling device reaches the destination, the controller 16 executes the control (catch control) shown in FIG. 10 in response to a command signal from the control device of the mother ship. In step 101, it is determined whether all the flippers 30 have landed. That is, information on the strain of the support structure 40 of the four flippers 30 and the load applied to the support structure 40 is read from the output of the strain gauge 49. If this load is equal to or greater than the threshold value, the corresponding flipper 30 is landed. Judge that

  When a negative determination is made in step 101, the flipper 30 that has not landed is rotated downward so that a load is applied to the support structure 40 that supports the flipper 30 (step 102).

When an affirmative determination is made in step 101 (that is, when it is determined that the base 11 is not in contact with the ground), the locking member 70 of the front flipper 30 is driven by a motor 71 approximately 180 ° as shown in FIG. By rotating counterclockwise (forward), the front end of the flipper 30 protrudes forward, and the locking member 70 of the rear flipper 30 is driven approximately 180 ° clockwise (rearward) by driving the motor 71. To the rear of the flipper 30 so as to project backward (step 103). Hereinafter, the position of the locking member 70 is referred to as a basic protruding position. This rotation control is performed based on the count information of the rotary encoder attached to the motor 71.
As described above, when the flipper 30 is in the deployed position and the locking member 70 is in the basic protruding position, the distal end 70a of the locking member 70 faces downward.

  Next, the routine proceeds to step 104 where all the flippers 30 are rotated downward by a predetermined angle ΔΘx from the current position by driving the motor 51. The angle ΔΘx is set at 5 to 10 °. The rotation control of the flipper 30 is performed based on the count information of the rotary encoder attached to the motor 51.

Next, the routine proceeds to step 105, where it is determined whether or not all the locking members 70 have been caught by the convex portions or concave portions of the seabed ground (whether they have bitten). Specifically, the bite is determined by any one or a combination of the following.
a. If the current value of the motor 51 for the flipper 30 is larger than the normal value, it is determined that the bite has caught.
b. If the load is detected by the strain gauge 49 attached to the bracket 42, but the rotary encoder of the motor 51 does not count, it is determined that it has caught.

If the determination in step 105 is affirmative, the process proceeds to step 106 to drive the vertical thruster of the underwater moving body 12 to apply a rising force to the machine body 10 and reconfirm the bite in this state (step 107). Specifically, the bite is determined by any one or a combination of the following.
a. Based on the information of the gyro sensor 17, it is determined that the body 10 has bitten when no change in posture has occurred.
b. Based on the video information of the video camera, it is determined that the aircraft 10 is biting if no change in posture has occurred in the body 10.
c. If the output of the strain gauge 49 indicates that the load is in the direction opposite to the load due to the device's own weight at the time of landing, or if the load in the direction of its own weight has decreased by a predetermined load or more, it is stuck. Judge.

  When an affirmative determination is made in step 107, that is, when it is determined that the airframe 10 is maintaining the biting state despite receiving the ascending force, the vertical thruster is stopped (this step is not shown), and coring is performed. A preparation completion signal is output (step 108). The mother ship operator receives this preparation completion signal from the mother ship side control device and commands the execution of coring.

The controller 16 receives the coring execution command and executes coring. As described above, when coring, the airframe 10 receives a reaction force, but this reaction force can be received by the anchor effect due to the engagement of the locking member 70 of the flipper 30 to the seabed ground, and as a result, Coring can be performed with a strong excavation force, and the core sample can be reliably recovered with good workability.
After the coring is completed, the locking member 70 is slowly rotated to return to the retracted position, and the flipper 30 is slowly rotated to return to the deployed position or retracted position.

  If a negative determination is made in step 105 or step 107, that is, if it is determined that the reaction force during coring is not received, the process proceeds to step 109. If a negative determination is made in step 107, the vertical thruster is stopped (this step is not shown), and the process proceeds to step 109. In step 109, it is determined whether or not the number of rotation adjustments of the flipper 30 has reached X times. If a negative determination is made here, the process returns to step 104, and the flipper 30 is further rotated downward by an angle ΔΘx. Thereafter, steps 105 to 107 are executed. When an affirmative determination is made at step 107, a coring preparation completion signal is output, and when a negative determination is made at either step 105 or 107, the routine proceeds to step 109 again. FIG. 4 shows a state in which the flipper 30 is rotated downward by a predetermined angle ΔΘx a plurality of times.

  When it is determined in step 109 that the number of rotation adjustments of the flipper 30 has reached X times, that is, it is determined that no biting can be obtained even if the rotation angle of the flipper 30 reaches the angle ΔΘx · X from the initial landing position. Sometimes go to step 110. As a result, it is possible to avoid the flipper 30 from rotating excessively downward and standing on the toes, and the airframe 10 becoming unstable.

  In step 110, it is determined whether or not the number of rotation adjustments of the locking member 70 has reached Y times. If a negative determination is made here, the flipper 30 is returned to the initial landing posture (step 111), all the locking members 70 are rotated downward by a predetermined angle ΔΘy (step 112), and the processing returns to step 104. Then, at the new angular position of the locking member 70, the bite to the seabed ground is tried by the downward rotation of the flipper 30 in the same manner as described above. Note that ΔΘy is set in an angle range of 5 to 10 °, similarly to ΔΘx.

  When it is determined in step 110 that the number of rotation adjustments of the locking member 70 has reached Y times, that is, the angle position downward of the locking member 70 is adjusted stepwise to change the angle Θy · Y from the basic protruding position. When it is determined that the bite has failed despite the fact that it has been rotated downward, the process proceeds to step 113 where a place change instruction signal is output. The pilot of the mother ship receives the location change instruction signal and moves the sampling device to another location by running control of the flipper 30 or underwater swimming by the underwater moving body 12. In step 113, the locking member 70 is returned to the retracted position simultaneously with the output of the location change support signal. Further, in step 113, the flipper 30 may be placed in the unfolded position shown in FIG. 2 so that traveling control of the flipper 30 is possible, or the flipper 30 is returned to the retracted position shown in FIG. It may be in any state.

  In step 111, the locking member 70 may be returned to the basic protruding position or the retracted position before the flipper 30 is returned to the initial landing posture. According to this, it is possible to reliably prevent the locking member 70 from inadvertently hitting the seabed ground as the flipper 30 rotates. When the locking member 70 is returned to the original position in this way, in step 112, the locking member 70 is largely rotated from the basic protruding position or the storage position to an angle of (previous angle + ΔΘy).

  The controller 16 may execute the biting control according to the flow of FIG. Steps common to the flow of FIG. 10 are given the same numbers, and detailed description thereof is omitted. If the determination in step 101 is affirmative, all flippers 30 are rotated downward by an angle ΔΘx while maintaining the locking members 70 in the retracted position, and then the process proceeds to step 120, where all the locking members 70 is rotated from the retracted position so as to protrude from the flipper 30. At this time, the front locking member 70 is rotated counterclockwise in FIG. 2, and the rear locking member 70 is rotated clockwise.

  Next, the process proceeds to step 121, where it is determined whether or not all the locking members 70 have bitten into the seabed ground. That is, when the rotary encoder of the motor 71 does not count despite the increase in the supply current to the motor 71, it is determined that the locking member 70 has caught the seabed ground. When the motor 71 is driven for a predetermined time and the supply current does not increase and the rotary encoder continues to count, it is determined that there is no bite.

If an affirmative determination is made in step 121, steps 106, 107, and 108 are executed as in FIG. In this control, by the rotation of the locking member 70, the biting onto the seabed ground can be completed at the stage where the amount of downward rotation of the flipper 30 is relatively small (the stage where the lift amount of the fuselage 10 is small). .
When a negative determination is made at step 121 or step 107, the routine proceeds to step 109, where it is determined whether or not the number of rotation adjustments of the flipper 30 has reached X times. When a negative determination is made here, all the locking members 70 are rotated to the storage position (step 122), and the process returns to step 104.

  When it is determined in step 109 that the number of rotation adjustments of the flipper 30 has reached X times, that is, the downward angular position of the flipper 30 is adjusted stepwise to rotate downward from the initial landing posture by an angle ΔΘx · X. When it is determined that the bite has failed despite the movement, the process proceeds to step 113 and a place change instruction signal is output.

The controller 16 may shift to the control pattern of FIG. 11 instead of executing step 113 in the control pattern of FIG. In this case, steps 101 and 102 in FIG. 11 may be omitted.
On the contrary, instead of executing step 113 in the control pattern of FIG. 11, the control pattern of FIG. In this case, steps 101 and 102 in FIG. 10 may be omitted.

Instead of outputting the coring preparation completion signal, the controller 16 may automatically continue coring control and subsequent control of the flipper 30 and the locking member 70.
Moreover, you may perform control of FIG. 10 or FIG. 11 performed with the controller 16 by manual operation of the operator of a mother ship.

  Next, another embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In these embodiments, configurations corresponding to the preceding embodiments are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 12 to 14, the ground biting structure A includes four flippers 30 and a direct-acting locking member 75. The locking member 75 has a linearly extending rod shape, and its tip 75a is sharp. The locking member 75 is linearly moved in the axial direction of the locking member 75 between a retracted position and a protruding position by a ball screw mechanism 76 (actuator) with a motor. The storage position and the protruding position of the locking member 75 are detected by a limit switch. A direct acting actuator such as a solenoid or a hydraulic cylinder may be used instead of the ball screw mechanism.

As shown in FIG. 12, the controller 16 executes the control shown in FIG. 15 after the sampling device reaches the destination by running with the flipper 30 in the unfolded position.
After confirming the landing of all the flippers 30 (affirmative determination in step 101), as shown in FIG. 13, all the locking members 75 are moved from the retracted position to the protruding position (step 130). As a result, the front end 75a of the locking member 75 faces obliquely downward.

  Next, all the flippers are rotated downward by an angle ΔΘx (step 104), and it is determined whether or not all the locking members 75 are biting the seabed ground (step 131). The determination at step 131 is the same as that at step 105 in FIG. FIG. 14 shows a state where the flipper 30 is rotated downward by a predetermined angle ΔΘx a plurality of times.

Steps 106, 107, and 108 executed when an affirmative determination is made in step 131 are the same as those in the first embodiment.
If a negative determination is made in steps 131 and 107, the process proceeds to step 109 as in the first embodiment, and it is determined whether or not the number of flipper rotation adjustments has exceeded X times. If a negative determination is made here, the process returns to step 104. This attempts to bite the seabed ground while increasing the downward rotation angle of the flipper 30. If an affirmative determination is made in step 109, the process proceeds to step 113, and a place change instruction signal is output.

  In the second embodiment, the control of FIG. 16 may be executed. In this control, the flipper is rotated downward by the angle ΔΘx while the locking member 75 is stored (step 104), and then the locking member 75 is protruded from the storage position (step 140).

Next, all the flippers 30 are rotated downward (step 141), and it is determined whether or not the locking member 75 is biting the seabed ground (step 142). Here, an affirmative determination is made when the same conditions as in step 105 of the first embodiment are satisfied, and a negative determination is made when the above conditions are not satisfied even if the current supply to the motor 51 is continued for a predetermined time.
If an affirmative determination is made in step 142, steps 106 to 108 are executed.

  If a negative determination is made in steps 142 and 107, the process proceeds to step 109. If a negative determination is made here, all the locking members 75 are rotated to the storage position (step 143), and the process returns to step 104. When an affirmative determination is made at step 109, the routine proceeds to step 113.

  In the second embodiment, the angle of the locking member 75 may be orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the flipper 30, or when the flipper 30 is in the deployed position, the center of the machine body 10 in the front-rear direction as it goes downward You may incline so that it may face.

  In the second embodiment, the protruding amount of the locking member 75 may be increased step by step by the ball screw mechanism 76, and the biting to the ground may be attempted with the protruding amount at each step in the same manner as described above.

  17 to 19 show a third embodiment of the present invention. In the sampling device of this embodiment, the ground biting structure is constituted by four flippers 30A. The flipper 30A is composed of a single elongated plate member and does not have a traveling function like the crawler type flipper of the first and second embodiments. The tip of the flipper 30A has a circular shape, and a locking projection 39 is formed integrally or separately on the outer periphery thereof. The sampling device is equipped with a drive mechanism 50 that swings the flipper 30A, but is not equipped with the drive mechanism 60 of the first and second embodiments.

  As shown in FIG. 19, the locking protrusion 39 of the flipper 30A has a hook shape. In the front and rear flippers 30A, the circumferential direction of the tip 39a of the locking projection 39 is different. More specifically, when the front flipper 30A is in the unfolded position, the tip 39a of the locking projection 39 positioned on the lower side faces rearward (center in the front-rear direction of the machine body 10). On the other hand, when the rear flipper 30A is in the unfolded position, the tip 39a of the locking protrusion 39 positioned on the lower side faces forward (center in the front-rear direction of the machine body 10).

  In the third embodiment, with the flipper 30A stored, the underwater moving body 12 carries the sampling device to the destination and deploys the flipper 30A at the destination. When further rotated downward by the controller, the front end 39a of the lower locking projection 39 of the front and rear flippers 30A is directed downward and toward the center of the airframe 10, and is easily caught on the seabed ground. In this biting control, as in the first embodiment, coring is performed after confirmation of catching of the locking protrusion 39 on the ground and reconfirmation of biting due to the rising of the underwater moving body 12.

FIG. 20 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment has the same structure as the first and second embodiments, but differs from these embodiments in that the locking members 70 and 75 are not provided. In this embodiment, prior to coring, the flipper 30 is rotated downward by the control of the controller, whereby the grounding lug 35b of the endless strip 35 of the flipper 30 is hooked on the seabed ground. Then, after confirming that the grounding lug 35b bites into the ground and after confirming biting due to the rising of the underwater moving body 12, coring is performed.
In the fourth embodiment, by driving the motor of the drive mechanism 60, the endless strips 35 of the front and rear flippers 30 may be rotated in the reverse direction to cause the ground lug 35b to bite the ground.
Note that the ground lug 35b of the flipper 30 of the fourth embodiment may be shaped like a hook in the same manner as the locking protrusion 39 of the third embodiment.

  A machine body 10A of the fifth embodiment shown in FIG. 21 has underwater moving bodies 12A at four locations of a frame 11A. Each of the underwater vehicles 12A includes a horizontal thruster and a vertical thruster.

  In the frame 11A of the airframe 10A, crawlers 80 are provided on the left and right of the front and on the left and right of the rear. Each crawler 80 supports front and rear sprocket wheels 81 and 82 (wheels) rotatably supported by the body 10, an endless strip 83 spanned between the sprocket wheels 81 and 82, and the endless strip 83. And a wheel 84. One of the front and rear sprocket wheels 81 and 82 of each crawler 80 is rotationally driven by a motor (not shown).

The endless strip 83 includes a chain 85 that meshes with the sprocket wheels 81 and 82, and a rigid grounding lug 86 provided on the outer periphery of the chain 85. The ground lug 86 has a bowl shape.
The direction of the tip 86a of the ground lug 86 differs between the front and rear crawlers 80. In FIG. 21, the front crawler 80 faces in the counterclockwise direction, and the rear crawler 80 faces in the clockwise direction. On the lower side of the front crawler 80, the tip 86a of the ground lug 86 faces rearward (center in the front-rear direction of the machine body 10A), and on the lower side of the rear crawler 80, the tip 86a of the ground lug 86 moves forward (machine body 10A). The center of the front and rear direction.

In the fifth embodiment, the four crawlers 80 can be driven to travel to the destination. When the destination is reached, the controller performs biting control on the submarine ground prior to coring. Specifically, in FIG. 21, the front crawler 80 is rotated counterclockwise, and the rear crawler 80 is rotated clockwise. Thereby, the grounding lug 86 located on the lower side of the front and rear crawlers 80 moves toward the center of the airframe 10A and is caught by the convex portion of the seabed ground. The catch of the ground lug 86 can be confirmed by the current value of the drive motor of the crawler 80 and / or the count information of the rotary encoder attached to this motor. It is also possible to reconfirm the bite by applying a force in a direction away from the ground by the underwater moving body 12A.
In the fifth embodiment, the function of the flipper may be provided by enabling the crawler 80 to be rotatable with respect to the machine body 10A.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be variously employed.
It is most preferable to perform coring with all four flippers (crawlers) biting the ground, but with at least one, more preferably three or more flippers (crawlers) biting the coring You may do it.
The coring mechanism may be arranged behind the base or the ROV, or may be arranged on either the left or right side.
A rotating mechanism may be provided between the base and the ROV joint as in the construction machine on land. In this case, the ROV and the coring mechanism provided on the ROV can be turned without moving the base and the flipper.
The collection device of the present invention can also be used when collecting a land geological sample.
Further, the ground may be a mountain composed of waste.
The device of the present invention may be applied to a device for collecting a geological sample such as a lump of mineral without coring, or a working device for performing work other than collecting a geological sample. For example, the present invention can be applied to a device in which a sensor or the like is installed on the seabed. With this device, the sensor can be stably installed by biting into the ground after making fine corrections to the location where the ocean current is strong.

  The present invention can be applied to a collection device for collecting a geological sample.

Claims (17)

A step of preparing a geological sample collection device including the airframe (10), a coring mechanism (20) provided in the airframe, and a ground biting structure (A) provided in the airframe;
A process of biting the ground biting structure (A) on the ground;
After the ground biting process, a coring process of collecting a geological sample by coring the ground with the coring mechanism (20),
A geological sample collection method comprising: The ground biting structure (A) is provided at the front left and right and rear left and right flippers (30) of the airframe (10), and at the front ends of the flippers. A locking member (70; 75),
These locking members (70; 75) have a front end (70a; 75a) between a retracted position where the tip end of the flipper is retracted and a protruding position where the tip protrudes from the outer periphery of the tip end of the flipper. Is movable,
In the ground biting step, the front flipper (30) is deployed forward, the rear flipper (30) is deployed rearward, and the locking member (70; 75) is moved from the tip of the flipper. 2. The geological sample collection method according to claim 1, wherein the locking member is hooked on the ground by rotating the front and rear flippers downward in the protruding state. The ground biting structure (A) has four flippers (30) rotatably provided at the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part of the airframe (10), and the tip of each of the flippers. A hook-shaped locking member (70) provided in a possible manner,
These locking members (70) have their tips (70a) projecting from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper by rotating the tip (70a) from the retracted position retracted from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper (30). Is possible,
In the ground biting process, in the state where the front flipper (30) is deployed forward and the rear flipper (30) is deployed rearward, the locking member (70) is rotated to turn the ground. The geological sample collection method according to claim 1, wherein the geological sample collection method is characterized in that the geological sample is collected. The ground biting structure (A) includes four flippers (30; 30A) rotatably provided on the front left and right and the rear left and right of the airframe (10), and at least the tip of each of the flippers A locking projection (35b; 39) is provided on the outer periphery of the part,
In the ground biting process, the front and rear flippers are rotated downward in a state where the front flipper (30; 30A) is deployed forward and the rear flipper (30; 30A) is deployed rearward. The geological sample collecting method according to claim 1, wherein the locking projection (35 b; 39) is hooked on the ground. The engaging protrusion (39) of the flipper (30A) has a hook shape, and the front end (39a) of the engaging protrusion of the front flipper and the end (39a) of the engaging protrusion of the rear flipper are in the circumferential direction. Facing the opposite direction,
In a state where the front flipper (30A) is deployed forward and the rear flipper (30A) is deployed rearward, the tip of the locking projection (39) is located below the tip of the front and rear flippers. The method for collecting geological samples according to claim 4, wherein (39a) faces the front-rear direction center of the airframe (10).   The flipper (30) has a crawler structure, and a grounding lug (35b) formed on the outer periphery of an endless strip (35) at intervals in the circumferential direction is provided as the locking protrusion. The geological sample collection method according to claim 4. The ground biting structure (A) includes a crawler (80) rotatably provided at the front left and right and the rear left and right of the airframe (10), and the endless strip (83) of the crawler includes Ground lugs (86) are provided at intervals in the circumferential direction,
In the ground biting process, by rotating the front crawler (80) and the rear crawler (80) in opposite directions, the grounding lugs (86) of the endless strips (83) of the front and rear crawlers are 2. The method for collecting geological samples according to claim 1, wherein the sample is hooked on the ground. The grounding lug (86) has a bowl shape, and the tip (86a) of the grounding lug (86) of the front crawler (80) and the tip (86a) of the grounding lug (86) of the rear crawler (80) are: In the circumferential direction, they are opposite to each other, and at the lower side of each crawler, the tip of the grounding lug faces the center in the front-rear direction of the aircraft,
In the ground biting step, the front crawler and the rear crawler are moved so that the grounding lug (86) advances toward the front-rear direction center of the airframe (10) below each crawler (80). The geological sample collection method according to claim 7, wherein the geological sample is rotated in a reverse direction. The aircraft includes an underwater vehicle (12),
In the ground biting step, the coring step is performed after the ground biting state is confirmed by driving the underwater moving body (12) and applying a force in a direction away from the ground to the airframe (10). The geological sample collection method according to claim 1, wherein: Airframe (10),
A ground biting structure (A) that is provided in the aircraft and bites the ground,
Working device equipped with. Furthermore, a coring mechanism (20) for collecting a geological sample by performing coring of the ground provided in the airframe (10) is provided,
The working device according to claim 10, wherein the ground biting structure (A) receives a reaction force accompanying the coring during the coring. The ground biting structure (A)
a. Four flippers (30) rotatably provided on the front left and right and rear left and right of the aircraft,
b. A flipper rotation mechanism (50) for rotating each of the flippers;
c. An engaging member (70; 75) for hooking the ground provided at each tip of the flipper, wherein the tip is retracted from the outer periphery of the tip of the flipper, and the tip is the tip of the flipper. A locking member movable between a protruding position protruding from the outer periphery of the part,
d. An actuator (71; 76) for moving the locking member (70:75) between the retracted position and the protruding position;
The working device according to claim 10, further comprising: The locking member (70) has a hook shape and is rotatably provided at the tip of the flipper (30). The front locking member and the rear locking member (70a) Facing the opposite direction in the circumferential direction,
The front flipper (30) is expanded forward by the flipper rotation mechanism (50) and the rear flipper (30) is expanded rearward, and the front locking member is expanded by the actuator (71). (70) is rotated to project forward, and the rear locking member (70) is rotated to protrude rearward so that the front and rear locking members (70a) are respectively downward. The working device according to claim 12, wherein the working device is directed toward the working device. The locking member (75) is linearly movable at the tip of the flipper (30),
The front flipper (30) is expanded forward by the flipper rotation mechanism (50) and the rear flipper (30) is expanded rearward, and the locking member (75) is expanded by the actuator (76). The working device according to claim 12, wherein a tip (75a) of the locking member faces downward in a state in which the protrusion is protruded.   The working device according to claim 14, wherein the locking member (75) has a rod shape linearly extending in the moving direction, and a tip (75a) thereof is pointed. The ground biting structure (A)
a. Four flippers (30A) rotatably provided on the front left and right and rear left and right of the aircraft,
b. A flipper rotation mechanism (50) for rotating each of the flippers (30A);
With
A hook-shaped locking projection (39) is provided on at least the outer periphery of the tip of each of the flippers (30A), and the tip of the locking projection of the front flipper (39a) and the tip of the locking projection of the rear flipper. (39a) are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction,
In a state where the front flipper (30A) is deployed forward and the rear flipper (30A) is deployed rearward, the tip of the locking projection (39) (below the tip of the front and rear flippers) The working device according to claim 10, characterized in that 39a) faces the longitudinal center of the airframe (10). The ground biting structure (A) includes four crawlers (80) rotatably provided on the left and right of the front part and the left and right of the rear part of the aircraft (10),
The endless strip (83) of the crawler (80) is provided with grounding lugs (86) at intervals in the circumferential direction, and these grounding lugs have a hook shape,
The front end (86a) of the grounding lug (86) of the front crawler (80) and the front end (86a) of the grounding lug (86) of the rear crawler (80) are opposite to each other in the circumferential direction. 11. The working device according to claim 10, wherein a tip of the ground lug is directed to a front-rear direction center of the body (10) on the lower side.

Images