WO2022037036A1

WO2022037036A1 - Amphibious suction cup having adjustable gap

Info

Publication number: WO2022037036A1
Application number: PCT/CN2021/079207
Authority: WO
Inventors: 雷勇; 张德民
Original assignee: 浙江大学
Priority date: 2020-08-21
Filing date: 2021-03-05
Publication date: 2022-02-24
Also published as: CN111907671A; CN111907671B

Abstract

An amphibious suction cup having an adjustable gap, comprising: a drum and a suction cup body (24) located within the drum, the suction cup body (24) being located within a drum wall (1), and a sealed end cover (26) being installed at a top end of the drum wall (1); an annular structured drum base is installed at a bottom end of the drum wall (1), and the drum base is formed by vertically and coaxially connecting an upper base (11) and a lower base (12) by means of bolts; an annular cavity (16) is formed by an area that is enclosed by an outer side surface of the upper base (11) and an inner side surface of the lower base (12); the suction cup body (24) is slidably mounted on the drum wall (1) by means of a plurality of I-shaped frames (15); and one end of each I-shaped frame (15) is fixed onto a waterproof direct-current motor (4), and the other end thereof is slidably embedded within a sliding groove (25) provided on the drum wall (1). The suction cup may achieve the adsorption of an underwater rough wall surface, may also enable adsorption in an overwater dry ground environment, and provides a certain amount of suction power.

Description

Clearance-adjustable amphibious suction cups

technical field

The invention relates to an underwater suction cup and its peripheral device, in particular to an amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance.

Background technique

Underwater adsorption technology and underwater grabbing technology are one of the key technologies for underwater survey and operation, and are widely used in marine geological survey, resource exploration and mineral evaluation, deep-sea salvage and many other fields. Underwater salvage, underwater adsorption and other operations. The traditional underwater grasping technology mostly uses mechanical grasping devices, which have problems such as complex design and inconvenient operation. .

With the development of special robot technology, underwater wall-climbing robots have emerged as a new demand. They are designed to replace manual underwater inspections and operations in dangerous and harsh environments, and are widely used in nuclear fuel pool inspections. Effective and reliable underwater adsorption technology is a prerequisite for the wide application of underwater wall-climbing robots.

The most common adsorption technology of underwater wall-climbing robots is ferromagnetic adsorption technology, which uses the interaction between magnets or electromagnets to generate adsorption force, which is only suitable for ferromagnetic walls, and is mostly used in the shipbuilding industry. Most underwater R0Vs or AUVs use the propeller as the power source, and some use the thrust generated by the propeller as the adsorption technology of the underwater wall-climbing robot, but because the propeller thrust adsorption is difficult to control and the water flow disturbance is too large, it is not suitable for observation. The negative pressure adsorption technology uses a centrifugal pump or centrifugal fan to pump out the water in the suction cup to form a local negative pressure. The negative pressure adsorption technology belongs to contact adsorption, which is more dependent on sealing technology, and the suction cup body or connecting pipeline is more likely to be blocked. As a result, the adsorption fails, and in the water and dry environment, there is no deep water environment around, and negative pressure cannot be formed.

To sum up, the existing underwater grasping technology has a complex structure, cannot adapt to various shapes of objects, and cannot work normally in areas where the water is dry. Although the existing underwater adsorption technologies have various means, they all have their own shortcomings and cannot well meet the needs of underwater wall-climbing robots.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the problems in the background technology, the present invention provides an amphibious suction cup with adjustable gap, which can meet the stable adsorption requirements of underwater wall-climbing robots, and can realize adsorption in the water and dry environment, and solve the problem of underwater climbing. The lack of wall robot adsorption technology lays a good foundation for vigorously researching underwater special robots.

The technical scheme adopted in the present invention is as follows:

An amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance, comprising a suction cup body mainly composed of a suction cup shell, a waterproof DC motor mounted on the suction cup shell, a connecting shaft and a centrifugal impeller, a hollow cavity is opened at the bottom end of the suction cup shell, and the hollow cavity is installed in the suction cup body. Centrifugal impeller; a motor support and a bearing seat are installed on the top of the suction cup shell, the bearing seat is located in the motor support, a waterproof DC motor is installed on the motor support, and the output shaft of the waterproof DC motor passes through the top of the motor support and connects to the upper end of the shaft Coaxial connection, the lower end of the connecting shaft passes through the central hole of the suction cup shell and is coaxially connected with the centrifugal impeller, and a shaft end retaining ring for axially limiting and fixing the centrifugal impeller is sleeved on the lower end of the connecting shaft;

It is characterized in that the suction cup body is located in the barrel wall, the top end of the barrel wall is installed with a sealed end cover, the bottom end of the barrel wall is installed with a barrel base with a ring structure, and the barrel base is composed of an upper base and a lower base that are connected up and down coaxially by bolts, The area surrounded by the outer side of the upper base and the inner side of the lower base forms an annular cavity;

The suction cup body is slidably installed on the barrel wall through a plurality of I-shaped frames, one end of the I-shaped frame is fixed on the waterproof DC motor, and the other end is slidably embedded in the chute provided on the barrel wall.

The upper base is composed of installation layer I, intermediate layer I and cone surface layer I from top to bottom, the lower base is composed of installation layer II, intermediate layer II and cone surface layer II in order from top to bottom, and the outer side of installation layer I is provided with Some flanges I are embedded in the grooves on the upper end face of the installation layer II to realize the connection between the upper base and the lower base; the lower base is connected with the bottom end of the barrel wall by bolts through the flange II provided on the outer side of the installation layer II ;

The outer side of the middle layer I and the inner side of the middle layer II are cylindrical surfaces, and the height of the lower end of the middle layer II is higher than that of the lower end of the middle layer I; the outer side of the cone surface layer I and the inner side of the cone surface layer II are conical surfaces with the same curvature, The outer side of the cone surface layer I is close to the inner side of the cone surface layer II but not in contact;

The annular cavity includes an upper cavity and a lower cavity, the upper cavity is surrounded by the inner side of the middle layer I, the outer side of the middle layer II and the outer side of the cone surface layer II, and the lower cavity is surrounded by the outer side of the cone surface layer I and the cone surface. The inner side of layer II is enclosed.

The upper cavity is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and the volume of the upper cavity is much larger than that of the lower cavity.

There are a plurality of water inlet holes equally spaced along the circumference of the middle layer II, the water inlet holes are arranged along the tangential direction of the circumference of the middle layer II, and the opening directions of the plurality of water inlet holes are the same; each water inlet hole passes through the water inlet pipe connected to the water pump.

When working, the water pump provides pressurized water flow. After the water flows into the annular cavity through the water inlet pipe, the water flow flows in the circumferential direction, forming a swirling flow in the upper cavity; when the water flow enters the lower cavity whose volume is smaller than the upper cavity cavity , due to the constant pressure of the water flow, the flow velocity of the water flow increases, and a high-speed annular water flow is generated at the outlet of the annular cavity cavity, thereby forming a disc-shaped water flow barrier under the suction cup body to reduce the water in the bucket from flowing out from the bottom, preventing The water level in the bucket is lowered to ensure the suction force of the suction cup body.

The end cover is connected with the top of the barrel wall by threads, and the end cover is provided with a plurality of through holes, and the excess water in the barrel is drawn out through the through holes, so that the water level in the barrel remains stable.

A rack and a gear meshing with the rack are installed on one side of the waterproof DC motor of the suction cup body, a stepper motor is fixed on the inner side of the barrel wall through a support seat, and the output shaft of the stepper motor is connected with the gear by a spline.

When the stepper motor drives the gear rack to rotate, it drives the suction cup body connected with the rack to move up and down, and the suction cup body is driven by the I-shaped frame to move along the vertical direction of the barrel wall.

There is a side hole connected with the water outlet pipe on the side of the barrel wall, and the water outlet pipe is connected with the external water tank. The water outlet pipe is provided with an electromagnetic one-way valve to prevent the water in the water tank from flowing back, and the water flowing out of the barrel wall flows into the water tank through the water outlet pipe.

The bottom of the suction cup body is slightly higher than the height of the bottom of the bucket base.

The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

(1) The present invention adopts the design of a suction cup and a peripheral barrel, and is directly driven by a waterproof DC motor, which is small in size and light in weight, and can realize the adsorption of the rough underwater wall, and can also realize the adsorption in the water and dry environment, providing a certain suction.

(2) The present invention adopts the design of stepper motor and rack and pinion, so that the suction cup can move up and down relative to the barrel wall, so as to adjust the suction force.

(3) The present invention uses a centrifugal impeller to generate a high-speed swirl, utilizes the centrifugal action of the high-speed swirl to generate an adsorption force, and leads the water flow out of the swirl cavity to avoid the entry of sundries and make the adsorption ineffective. The adsorption force of the centrifugal impeller underwater suction cup is simple and controllable. The adsorption force can be adjusted by adjusting the motor speed or by adjusting the water pressure of the water pump.

Description of drawings

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the upper base of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a full cutaway view of the upper base of the present invention.

4 is a perspective view of the lower base of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top view of the lower base of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention (a simple drawing method of a suction cup, the chute and the I-shaped frame are omitted).

Fig. 7 is another structure of the present invention.

In the figure: barrel wall (1), lower deep groove ball bearing (2), connecting shaft (3), waterproof DC motor (4), set screw (5), motor support (6), upper deep groove ball bearing (7), bearing seat (8), centrifugal impeller (9), shaft end retaining ring (10), upper base (11), lower base (12), suction cup shell (13), water inlet pipe (14), engineering Font frame (15), annular inner cavity (16), water outlet pipe (17), electromagnetic check valve (18), water tank (19), rack (20), gear (21), stepper motor (22) , support seat (23), suction cup body (24), chute (25), end cover (26), chamfer (27), installation layer I (28), intermediate layer I (29), cone surface layer I ( 30), installation layer II (31), intermediate layer II (32), cone surface layer II (33).

detailed description

The present invention will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

As shown in Figure 1, the present invention includes a bucket and a suction cup body 24 located within the bucket. The suction cup body 24 is mainly composed of a suction cup casing 13, a waterproof DC motor 4 mounted on the suction cup casing, a connecting shaft 3 and a centrifugal impeller 9. The bottom end of the suction cup casing 13 is provided with a hollow cavity, and the centrifugal impeller 9 is installed in the hollow cavity; the suction cup casing 13 A motor support 6 and a bearing seat 8 are installed on the top, the bearing seat 8 is located in the motor support 6, a waterproof DC motor 4 is installed on the motor support 6, and the output shaft of the waterproof DC motor 4 passes through the top of the motor support 6 and is connected to the motor support 6. The upper end of the connecting shaft 3 is coaxially connected, the lower end of the connecting shaft 3 passes through the central hole of the suction cup shell 13 and is coaxially connected to the centrifugal impeller 9, and the lower end of the connecting shaft 3 is sleeved with a shaft end for axially limiting and fixing the centrifugal impeller 9 retaining ring 10. The centrifugal impeller 9 includes an impeller plate and blades, and the blades are uniformly fixed on the end face of the lower end of the impeller plate along the circumferential direction; the edge of the impeller plate of the centrifugal impeller 9 is axially extended with an annular boss, and the inner peripheral surface of the annular boss is provided with a chamfer 27 , the water flows out through the chamfer 27 after high-speed rotation and centrifugation in the hollow cavity of the centrifugal impeller 9 .

The barrel includes a barrel wall 1, an end cover 26 located at the top of the barrel wall 1 and the bottom end of the barrel wall 1 connected with a barrel base through an interference connection. The area surrounded by the outer side surface of 11 and the inner side surface of the lower base 12 forms an annular cavity 16 .

The upper end of the connecting shaft 3 is movably sleeved in the bearing seat 8 through the upper deep groove ball bearing 7 , and the peripheral surface of the lower end of the connecting shaft 3 is movably sleeved into the suction cup housing 13 through the lower deep groove ball bearing 2 . The output shaft of the waterproof DC motor 4 and the connecting shaft 3 are connected by a set screw 5 to realize circumferential fixation.

As shown in Figure 2, Figure 3 and Figure 4, the upper base 11 is composed of installation layer I28, intermediate layer I29 and cone surface layer I30 from top to bottom, and the lower base 12 is composed of installation layer II31, intermediate layer II32 and cone surface layer. II33 is composed from top to bottom. The flange I provided on the outer side of the installation layer I28 is embedded in the groove on the upper end face of the installation layer II31 to realize the connection between the upper base 11 and the lower base 12; the lower base 12 passes through the installation layer. The flange II provided on the outer side of II31 is connected with the bottom end of the barrel wall 1 by bolts; the outer side of the middle layer I29 and the inner side of the middle layer II32 are cylindrical surfaces, and the height of the lower end of the middle layer II32 is higher than that of the lower end of the middle layer I29; The outer surface of the surface layer I30 and the inner surface of the cone surface layer II33 are conical surfaces with the same curvature, and the outer surface of the cone surface layer I30 is close to the inner surface of the cone surface layer II33 but not in contact.

The annular cavity 16 includes an upper cavity and a lower cavity, the upper cavity is surrounded by the inner side of the intermediate layer I29, the outer side of the intermediate layer II32 and the outer side of the cone surface layer II33, and the lower cavity is surrounded by the outer side of the cone surface layer I30 and the cone surface. The inner side of the surface layer II33 is enclosed.

The upper base 11 and the lower base 12 are connected by screw threads, the upper base 11 is provided with a light hole, and the lower base 12 is provided with a threaded hole, which is connected by screws. The upper base 11 and the lower base 12 are connected and installed to form an annular cavity. The annular cavity adopts a wide-to-narrow structure with a stepped cross-section, so that the water flow can smoothly transition from a low flow rate to a high flow rate after entering, reducing the internal flow rate. Cavity wall impact.

As shown in Figure 5, four water inlet holes are equally spaced along the circumference of the middle layer II32 of the lower base 12, and the water inlet holes are arranged along the tangential direction of the circumference of the middle layer II32, and each water inlet hole passes through the water inlet pipe 14. connected to the water pump. The water inlet pipe 14 is arranged in a ring shape, and the direction of the busbar of the pipe is deviated from the center of the circle, so that when the water flow enters the annular cavity 16, the water flow flows along the circumferential direction, forming a circular flow, which is evenly distributed in the inner cavity, so that the narrow flow channel of the inner cavity is distributed evenly in the inner cavity. The water flow of the bucket is also distributed evenly, and the water outlet can form a high-speed and uniform water flow barrier, which prevents the water in the bucket from leaking from the bottom.

As shown in Figure 6, a hole is opened in the middle of the side surface of the barrel wall 1 and is connected to a water outlet pipe 17 to ensure that the water level in the barrel is high so that the suction cup has a large suction force, and an electromagnetic one-way valve 18 is arranged in the pipe to control the water in the barrel to flow out and prevent it from flowing out. In reverse flow, the outflowing water enters the water tank 19; the water tank 19 can be installed on the underwater robot.

As shown in FIG. 6 , a rack 20 is installed on the suction cup body 24, the rack 20 is fixed on the waterproof DC motor 4 through four bosses with threaded holes, and a support seat 23 is installed on the barrel wall, on which the installation steps Into the motor 22, the output shaft of the stepper motor 22 is connected with the gear 21 through splines, and the gear and the rack are engaged to control the movement of the suction cup relative to the barrel wall. The suction cup body 24 is slidably mounted on the barrel wall 1 through a plurality of I-shaped frames 15 , one end of the I-shaped frame 15 is fixed on the waterproof DC motor 4 , and the other end is slidably embedded in the chute 25 provided on the barrel wall 1 . , so that the suction cup body can move vertically relative to the barrel wall.

In specific implementation, the top end cover 26 is provided with four switchable holes, which are used to extract excess water in the water tank when opened, and used for sealing when closed;

In a specific implementation, the height of the bottom of the suction cup body 24 is slightly higher than the height of the bottom of the base of the tub during installation.

In specific implementation, the lower end surface of the centrifugal impeller 9 is not lower than the height of the bottom of the suction cup body 24 .

As shown in FIG. 7, it is another structure of the present invention, that is, the suction cup body 24 and the barrel wall 1 are connected by an I-shaped frame 15, and the I-shaped frame 15 and the barrel wall 1 are connected by screws. The suction cup remains relatively fixed to the barrel wall. This method is suitable for the situation where the optimal distance between the bottom of the suction cup and the ground has been determined, but its disadvantage is that the suction force cannot be adjusted by adjusting the height of the suction cup.

Specific examples:

In an ordinary underwater environment, the waterproof DC motor 4 drives the connecting shaft 3 and then drives the centrifugal impeller 9 to rotate, and the water flow centrifugally flows out of the hollow cavity under the high-speed rotation of the centrifugal impeller 9, so that the hollow cavity forms a vacuum negative pressure, thereby realizing underwater adsorption.

When working in the water and dry environment, the four water inlets of the lower base 12 are connected to the water pump, and the water pump provides a certain pressure of water flow. After the upper base 11 and the lower base 12 are installed, an annular cavity will be formed in the middle. The cross-section of the cavity is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. The upper part of the cavity has a larger volume, and the flow rate of water with a certain pressure increases gradually after entering. A swirling flow is formed. When the water flow enters the lower part of the cavity with a small volume, the flow velocity will increase due to the constant pressure at the inlet, and a high-speed annular water flow will be generated at the outlet of the cavity, and a disc-shaped water flow barrier will be formed under the suction cup. , it will reduce the outflow of water in the bucket from the bottom, prevent the water level in the bucket from lowering, and ensure the suction force of the suction cup. Realize the application of the underwater suction cup in the water and land environment, the water and land environment refers to the underwater and water dry environment.

Claims

An amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance, comprising a suction cup body (24) mainly composed of a suction cup casing (13), a waterproof DC motor (4) mounted on the suction cup casing, a connecting shaft (3) and a centrifugal impeller (9). ), the bottom end of the suction cup shell (13) is provided with a hollow cavity, and the centrifugal impeller (9) is installed in the hollow cavity; the top of the suction cup shell (13) is installed with a motor support (6) and a bearing seat (8), and the bearing seat (8) It is located in the motor support (6), the waterproof DC motor (4) is installed on the motor support (6), and the output shaft of the waterproof DC motor (4) passes through the top of the motor support (6) and is connected to the connecting shaft (3) The upper end is coaxially connected, the lower end of the connecting shaft (3) passes through the central hole of the suction cup shell (13) and is coaxially connected with the centrifugal impeller (9), and the lower end of the connecting shaft (3) is sleeved with a shaft for connecting the centrifugal impeller (9) The shaft end retaining ring (10) fixed to the limit;

It is characterized in that the suction cup body (24) is located in the barrel wall (1), the top end of the barrel wall (1) is provided with a sealed end cover (26), the bottom end of the barrel wall (1) is provided with a barrel base of a ring structure, and the barrel The base is composed of an upper base (11) and a lower base (12) that are coaxially connected up and down through bolts, and an annular cavity (16) is formed in the area surrounded by the outer side of the upper base (11) and the inner side of the lower base (12);

The suction cup body (24) is slidably installed on the barrel wall (1) through a plurality of I-shaped frames (15), one end of the I-shaped frame (15) is fixed on the waterproof DC motor (4), and the other end is slidably embedded in the barrel inside the chute (25) provided on the wall (1).
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable gap according to claim 1, characterized in that the upper base (11) is composed of an installation layer I (28), an intermediate layer I (29) and a tapered surface layer I (30). The lower base (12) is composed of the installation layer II (31), the middle layer II (32) and the cone surface layer II (33) in order from top to bottom, and the outer side of the installation layer I (28) is provided with The flange I is embedded in the groove on the upper end face of the installation layer II (31) to realize the connection between the upper base (11) and the lower base (12); the lower base (12) passes through the outer side of the installation layer II (31). The provided flange II is connected with the bottom end of the barrel wall (1) by bolts;

The outer side of the middle layer I (29) and the inner side of the middle layer II (32) are cylindrical surfaces, and the height of the lower end of the middle layer II (32) is higher than the height of the lower end of the middle layer I (29). The side surface and the inner surface of the cone surface layer II (33) are conical surfaces with the same curvature, and the outer surface of the cone surface layer I (30) is close to the inner surface of the cone surface layer II (33) but not in contact;

The annular cavity (16) includes an upper cavity and a lower cavity, and the upper cavity is surrounded by the inner side of the intermediate layer I (29), the outer side of the intermediate layer II (32) and the outer side of the cone surface layer II (33). The cavity is surrounded by the outer surface of the cone surface layer I (30) and the inner surface of the cone surface layer II (33).
The amphibious suction cup with adjustable gap according to claim 2, wherein the upper cavity is wide at the top and narrow at the bottom, and the volume of the upper cavity is larger than that of the lower cavity.
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable gap according to claim 2, characterized in that, along the peripheral surface of the intermediate layer II (32), a plurality of water inlet holes are equally spaced, and the water inlet holes are along the intermediate layer II (32). ) are arranged in the tangential direction of the circumference, and the opening directions of the plurality of water inlet holes are consistent; each water inlet hole is connected to the water pump through a water inlet pipe (14).
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance according to claim 4, characterized in that, during operation, the water pump provides a pressurized water flow, and after the water flows into the annular cavity (16) through the water inlet pipe (14), the water flows along the It flows in the circumferential direction, forming a swirling flow in the upper cavity; when the water flow enters the lower cavity whose volume is smaller than the upper cavity cavity, the water flow velocity increases due to the constant water flow pressure, and in the annular cavity (16) cavity A high-speed annular water flow is generated at the outlet, thereby forming a disc-shaped water flow barrier under the suction cup body (24), so as to reduce the outflow of water in the bucket from the bottom and prevent the water level in the bucket from decreasing, thereby ensuring the suction force of the suction cup body (24).
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that the end cover (26) is connected with the top of the barrel wall (1) by threads, and the end cover (26) is provided with a plurality of through holes, The excess water in the bucket is drawn out through the through hole.
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that a rack (20) and a rack (20) are installed on one side of the waterproof DC motor (4) of the suction cup body (24) The gears (21) meshing with each other, the inner side of the barrel wall (1) is fixed with a stepper motor (22) through a support seat (23), and the output shaft of the stepper motor (22) is connected with the gear (21) by splines.
The amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance according to claim 7, characterized in that the stepper motor (22) drives the gear (21) and the rack (20) to rotate while driving the rack (20) to be connected The suction cup body (24) moves up and down, and the suction cup body (24) moves along the vertical direction of the barrel wall (1) under the driving of the I-shaped frame (15).
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable clearance according to claim 1, characterized in that, a side hole connected to a water outlet pipe (17) is opened on the side of the barrel wall (1), and the water outlet pipe (17) is connected to an external water tank (17). 19) connected, the water outlet pipe (17) is provided with an electromagnetic one-way valve (18) to prevent the backflow of water in the water tank, and the water flowing out of the barrel wall (1) flows into the water tank (19) through the water outlet pipe (17).
An amphibious suction cup with adjustable gap according to claim 1, characterized in that the bottom of the suction cup body (24) is higher than the bottom of the bucket base.