KR101883663B1 - Ball wheel type moving apparatus for remotely operated vehicle and remotely operated vehicle with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus and a spherical wheel type ROV having the spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus and a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) A body frame fixed to a lower portion of the ROV body, and a plurality of support legs extending downward from the body frame; A bogie frame provided at a lower portion of the body frame and at least three sphere wheels provided on the bogie frame so as to be freely rotatable in a state of being in contact with the sea floor; A lifting device for lifting the bogie up and down so that the bottom surface of the spherical wheel is located above or below the lower end of the support leg; And a control unit.
The spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus according to the present invention and the spherical wheel type ROV having the same have a simple structure since the driving force for traveling the sea floor from the propulsion apparatus provided in the ROV main body is obtained without a separate driving apparatus Weight, and miniaturization. In addition, since the position of the support leg is supported while the support leg is supported by the elevating device, the target work can be performed stably without being influenced by the algae.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to an ROV traveling apparatus of a spherical wheel type and a spherical wheel type ROV having the ROV traveling apparatus.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), and more particularly, to a ROV traveling apparatus having a spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus that can freely travel a seabed surface by mounting a spherical wheel that freely rotates in any direction, Wheel type ROV.

ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) is a remotely operated deep sea exploration and development unmanned submersible. The ROV is remotely controlled by a controller on the mother ship, allowing the exploration of seabed resources in a submarine environment where it is difficult for a person to work, the lifting of a sinking ship, the removal of oil from the seabed, Installation and repair of the structure.

ROV is very heavy because it is equipped with various devices including self propulsion device for underwater exploration and various work. Therefore, the ROV carried on the bus is transported to the work site, and the ROV transported to the work site is connected to the water via the communicatable tether cable.

The ROV injected into the water is transported underwater by the self propulsion device. However, since the ROV that reaches the sea floor is difficult to move through the swimmer, a separate ROV traveling device is required to move to the sea floor. The use of the ROV traveling device allows the ROV to be moved precisely in a state of being in contact with the sea floor, thereby improving the convenience of the operation.

An example of such an ROV traveling apparatus is a caterpillar. The caterpillar is installed at the bottom of the ROV and is driven through a separate drive device such as a hydraulic motor. Therefore, there is a problem that the size is large and heavy.

In addition, there are ROV traveling devices such as multi-articulated walking devices. However, this type of ROV traveling device is more complicated in structure than the caterpillar type ROV traveling device, and is difficult to apply to ROV easily because it is difficult to operate.

Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1620459 "Ship Underwater Cleaning Robot Using Radio Control" (Registered May 5, 2016) No. 10-1283417, "Multi-joint submarine swimming robot capable of underwater swimming" (Registered on February 7, 2013)

It is an object of the present invention to provide a ROV traveling apparatus of a spherical wheel type that travels on the sea floor using a propulsion device of a ROV itself without a separate driving device and a spherical wheel type Of the ROV. In addition, when the spherical wheel type ROV is not traveling on the sea floor, its position can be fixed on the sea floor, so that the target work can be performed stably without being influenced by the algae.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) main body having a propulsion device; A body frame fixed to a lower portion of the ROV body, and a plurality of support legs extending downward from the body frame; A bogie frame provided at a lower portion of the body frame and at least three sphere wheels provided on the bogie frame so as to be freely rotatable in a state of being in contact with the sea floor; A lifting device for lifting the bogie up and down so that the bottom surface of the spherical wheel is located above or below the lower end of the support leg; And a control unit.

The elevating device may include a driving motor, an elevating screw rotated by the driving motor while the position of the elevating screw is fixed to the body, And a screw bushing that vertically moves together with the bogie.

The elevating device may include a driving motor, a screw bushing whose position is fixed to the body portion, a screw bushing screwed into the screw bushing while the position of the screw is fixed to the bogie, And an elevating screw which vertically moves together with the screw.

The bogie and the body may be provided with at least one lift guide for guiding the bogie up and down.

The elevation guide may include a plurality of guide posts extending downward from the body frame of the body portion, and a post insertion port provided in the bogie frame of the bogie to insert the guide posts.

According to another aspect of the present invention, an ROV traveling apparatus of a spherical wheel type includes a body frame fixed to a lower portion of a ROV body having a propelling device, and a plurality of support legs extending downward from the body frame A body portion; A bogie frame provided at a lower portion of the body frame and at least three sphere wheels provided on the bogie frame so as to be freely rotatable in a state of being in contact with the sea floor; A lifting device for lifting the bogie up and down so that the bottom surface of the spherical wheel is located above or below the lower end of the support leg; And a control unit.

As described above, the spherical wheel-type ROV traveling apparatus and the spherical wheel-type ROV having the spherical wheel-type ROV according to the present invention travel on the seabed surface using the propulsion device provided in the ROV main body, So that it can be made lighter and smaller. The spherical wheel provided in the bogie is freely rotatable and can be precisely driven in any direction, and the bogie in place can be made easier than the conventional traveling device.

In addition, if the elevator is elevated using a landing gear, the position is fixed with the supporting leg supporting the bottom, so that the target operation can be stably performed without being influenced by the bird.

1 is a view showing a state in which a ROV of a spherical wheel type according to an embodiment of the present invention is inserted into a sea floor in a state where it is connected to a bus line,
Fig. 2 is a front view of the ROV of the spherical wheel type of Fig. 1,
Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the ROV of the spherical wheel type of Figure 2,
Fig. 4 is a conceptual perspective view of the ROV traveling device of the spherical wheel type of Fig. 2,
Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the ROV traveling device of the spherical wheel type of Fig. 4,
FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the ROV of the spherical wheel type of FIG. 3 is traveling on the sea floor;
FIG. 7 is a view showing a state in which the ROV of the spherical wheel type of FIG. 3 is fixed in the sea floor. FIG.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily carry out the present invention. The present invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. In order to clearly illustrate the present invention in the drawings, portions not related to the description are omitted, and like reference numerals are given to similar portions throughout the specification. Whenever a component is referred to as "including" an element throughout the specification, it is to be understood that the element may include other elements, not the exclusion of any other element, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

First, a configuration of a spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus and a spherical wheel type ROV having the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 is a view showing a state in which a spherical wheel type ROV according to an embodiment of the present invention is inserted into a sea floor in a state where it is connected to a bus line, FIG. 2 is a front view of a ROV of a spherical wheel type of FIG. 1, FIG. 4 is a conceptual perspective view of a spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus of FIG. 2, and FIG. 5 is a bottom view of a spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus of FIG.

The ROV of the spherical wheel type according to one embodiment of the present invention is composed of the ROV main body 20 and the spherical wheel type ROV traveling device 10.

The ROV of the present embodiment is inserted into the water in a state of being connected to the bus bar 40 through a tether cable 30 as shown in Fig. 1, and travels in a state of being in contact with the sea floor 1 Or the position is fixed and the desired operation is performed.

The ROV main body 20 is equipped with a variety of equipment for performing a desired operation, which is well known in the art. In addition, a plurality of propelling devices 21 are provided so that they can freely swim in water. The propulsion device 21 may be configured such that a plurality of propulsion devices 21 are fixed to face each other, or may be configured to be rotated in a direction to obtain propulsive force.

The spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus 10 is provided to be fixed to the lower portion of the ROV main body 20 and is capable of traveling the sea floor 1. The ROV traveling apparatus 10 includes a body portion 100, (300).

A body portion 100 of a spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus 10 includes a body frame 110 fixed to a lower portion of an ROV body 20 and a plurality of support legs 120) and a plurality of guide posts (130).

The body frame 110 is a rectangular plate fixed to the lower portion of the ROV body 20 and provides a place where the elevation device 300, the support leg 120, and the guide post 130 are fixed.

In the four corners of the body frame 110, four support legs 120 for supporting the sea floor 1 are formed extending downward, respectively. The support leg 120 supports the underside surface 1 to the lower end of the support leg 120 so that the ROV main body 20 can be fixed without being swept by the birds while performing a desired operation.

 Four guide posts 130 extending downward from the bottom surface of the body frame 110 are formed inside the four support legs 120. The guide post 130 guides the up and down movement of the carriage 200 in the vertical direction.

A bogie 200 is provided below the body frame 110 of the body 100 and is guided by the guide posts 130 to be vertically elevated. The bogie 200 includes a bogie frame 210 provided at a lower portion of the body frame 110 and four spherical wheels 220 provided at the bogie frame 210 and freely rotatable in contact with the sea floor 1 .

A guide post 130 is inserted into the bogie frame 210, and a post insertion opening 211 for guiding the up and down movement of the bogie frame 210 is formed through the bogie frame 210 in a vertical direction. The post inserting holes 211 are formed at positions corresponding to the four guide posts 130 and the shape in which the guide posts 130 are inserted into the post inserting holes 211 is shown in FIG.

The guide post 130 and the post insertion port 211 are elevation guides for guiding the bogie 200 to ascend and descend while maintaining a state of being parallel to the sea floor 1 and the configuration of the elevation guide may be changed according to the embodiment .

A spherical wheel 220 is mounted on the bogie frame 210. The spherical wheel 220 is free to rotate in a manner that the direction of rotation of the spherical wheel 220 is not fixed unlike the case of a disc-shaped ordinary wheel and the bogie frame 210, on which the spherical wheel 220 is mounted, do.

A bearing ball (not shown) for supporting the rotation of the spherical wheel 220 is filled in a portion where the spherical wheel 220 of the bogie frame 210 is seated. In this embodiment, Respectively.

The elevating device 300 is provided to elevate the bogie 200 up and down such that the bottom of the spherical wheel 220 is positioned above or below the lower end of the support leg 120. The elevating device 300 includes a driving motor 310, an elevating screw 320, and a screw bushing 330.

The driving motor 310 is fixed to the body frame 110 of the body 100. The elevating screw 320 is rotated by the driving motor 310 while the position of the elevating screw 320 is fixed to the body frame 110 of the body 100.

A pair of gears 311 and 321 are provided on the driving motor 310 and the lifting screw 320 so that the lifting screw 320 can be rotated by the driving motor 310. The manner in which the driving motor 310 and the lift screw 320 are rotated by the pair of gears 311 and 321 is only an example and may be implemented in other forms according to the embodiment.

The screw bushing 330 is fixed to the bogie frame 210 of the bogie 200 so that its position is fixed. The screw bushing 330 is screwed to the lifting screw 320 and is lifted up and down by the rotation of the lifting screw 320. When the screw bushing 330 is lifted up and down by the rotation of the lifting screw, the bogie 200 to which the screw bushing 330 is fixed is also lifted up and down.

The screw bushing 330 is fixed to the body 100 and the elevating screw 320 is vertically moved up and down together with the bogie 200. In this case, .

The elevation guide including the guide post 130 and the corresponding post inserting hole 211 guides the elevating and lowering of the carriage 200 while the elevator 300 is lifted up and down by the elevating device 300. [ Therefore, the bogie 200 ascends and descends while maintaining the state of being parallel to the sea floor 1.

Next, a state in which the ROV of the spherical wheel type of this embodiment runs along the sea floor 1 or its position is fixed on the sea floor 1 will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 6 is a view showing a state in which the ROV of the spherical wheel type of FIG. 3 is traveling on the sea floor, and FIG. 7 is a view showing a state where the ROV of the spherical wheel type of FIG. 3 is fixed in the sea floor.

6, in order to allow the ROV of the spherical wheel type to travel along the seabed surface 1, the bogie 200 of the spherical wheel-type ROV traveling apparatus 10 descends from the body 100, Of the spherical wheel 220 of the ground surface should be in contact with the sea floor surface 1.

The lowering of the bogie 200 is performed by the elevating device 300. When the driving motor 310 of the elevating device 300 is rotated in one direction, the rotation of the elevating screw 320 is interlocked by the pair of gears 311 and 321. When the elevating screw 320 is rotated, Guided by the elevating guide and descended with the screw bushing 330.

When the truck 200 descends, the bottom surface of the spherical wheel 220 contacts the underside surface 1, and the lower end of the support leg 120 is separated from the sea floor surface 1. That is, only four spherical wheels 220 are in contact with the sea floor surface 1.

Since the propulsion unit 21 of the ROV main body 20 itself is an apparatus that allows the ROV main body 20 to freely float in water, propulsion force can be generated in any direction. In addition, the spherical wheel 220 is freely rotated in any direction, unlike a normal wheel provided in a disc shape.

Therefore, when propulsion is generated by using the propulsion device 21, the ROV body 20 with the spherical wheel type ROV traveling device 10 mounted thereon, that is, the ROV of the spherical wheel type according to this embodiment, To move freely or to turn freely in place.

As described above, the spherical wheel type ROV according to the present embodiment obtains propulsive force for traveling the sea floor 1 from the propulsion device 21 provided in the ROV main body 20 without a separate drive device, It can be made lighter and smaller than a conventional ROV equipped with a multi-joint traveling device.

Particularly, the spherical wheel-type ROV traveling device 10 provided at the lower part of the ROV main body 20 can be installed in a conventional ROV which is manufactured separately and does not have a traveling device, Function can be added.

The spherical wheel type ROV according to the present embodiment is one controller for operating the propulsion unit 21 of the ROV main body 20, and the running is performed in the water and the sea floor 1 in the water, There is an advantage that it is not necessary to know a separate operation method for the operation.

As shown in FIG. 7, in order for the spherical wheel type ROV of this embodiment to be seated on the sea floor 1 and fixed in position, the rail 200 of the spherical wheel type ROV traveling apparatus 10 is raised, 0.0 > 100). ≪ / RTI >

The lift of the carriage 200 is performed by the rotation of the drive motor 310 in the same manner as the drop of the carriage 200 described above. The spherical wheel 220 is separated from the sea floor 1 and the support leg 120 is lowered so that the lower end of the support leg 120 comes into contact with the sea floor 1. That is, the ROV main body 20 to which the ROV traveling device 10 of the spherical wheel type is mounted is fixed to the sea floor surface 1 by the four supporting legs 120.

As described above, in the state where the robot 1 is seated on the undersurface 1 and the position is fixed, algae are not swept away, so that a desired operation can be performed stably.

It will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims .

It is therefore to be understood that the above-described embodiments are illustrative in all aspects but are not restrictive. For example, each component described as a single entity may be distributed and implemented, and components described as being distributed may also be implemented in a combined form.

The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description and all changes or modifications derived from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included within the scope of the present invention do.

1: sea floor
10: ROV driving device of spherical wheel type
20: ROV body
30: Tether cable
40: Mothership
100:
110: Body frame
120: Support leg
130: Guide post
200: Truck
210: Balance frame
211: Post insertion port
220: spherical wheel
300: lifting device
310: drive motor
320: lifting screw
330: Screw bushing

Claims (6)

An ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) main body having a propulsion device;
A body frame fixed to a lower portion of the ROV body, and a plurality of support legs extending downward from the body frame;
A bogie frame provided at a lower portion of the body frame and at least three sphere wheels provided on the bogie frame so as to be freely rotatable in a state of being in contact with the sea floor;
A lifting device for lifting the bogie up and down so that the bottom surface of the spherical wheel is located above or below the lower end of the support leg;
Wherein the ROV is a spherical wheel type ROV.
The method according to claim 1,
The elevating device includes a driving motor, an elevating screw rotated by the driving motor in a state where the elevating screw is fixed to the body portion, and an elevating screw which is screwed to the elevating screw in a state where the elevating screw is fixed to the elevating shaft, And a screw bushing vertically moving up and down.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the lift device comprises a drive motor, a screw bushing fixed in position to the body, a screw bushing screwed into the bush while the position is fixed to the bogie, rotated by the drive motor, And an elevating screw for raising and lowering the ROV.
4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
Wherein the bogie and the body portion are provided with at least one lift guide for guiding the bogie up and down.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the elevation guide includes a plurality of guide posts extending downward from the body frame of the body portion and a post insertion hole provided in the bogie frame of the bogie to insert the guide posts therein. ROV.
A body portion including a body frame fixed to a lower portion of a ROV body having a propelling device, and a plurality of support legs extending downward from the body frame;
A bogie frame provided at a lower portion of the body frame and at least three sphere wheels provided on the bogie frame so as to be freely rotatable in a state of being in contact with the sea floor;
A lifting device for lifting the bogie up and down so that the bottom surface of the spherical wheel is located above or below the lower end of the support leg;
Wherein the ROV travels through the ROV.

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