Underwater and aerial vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11926414-B2
Application number	US-202017421034-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 23, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Mar 12, 2024
Grant date	Mar 12, 2024

Abstract

An underwater and aerial vehicle includes a fixing frame, a core navigation system and an energy supply system. The fixing frame has a circular ring configuration in a middle part thereof, and the waterproof sealing cabin is fixed in the circular ring configuration, and multiple cantilever arms extend around the circular ring configuration. An underwater navigation control module and a relay are provided on an auxiliary fixing platform. A second brushless motor is provided on each of the cantilever arms. Each second brushless motor is provided with a marine propeller. A flight control module, a remote control receiver and a power management module are provided on a fixing platform. A first brushless motor is provided on each of the cantilever arms. Each first brushless motor is provided with a rotor via a coupling. The energy supply system is arranged in a lower part of the waterproof sealing cabin.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An underwater and aerial vehicle, comprising a watertight cabin, a fixing frame, a pressure measurement module, a core navigation system, an energy supply system and a watertight charging port;
wherein, the fixing frame has a circular ring configuration in a middle part thereof, the watertight cabin is fixed within the circular ring configuration, and four cantilever arms extend at equal intervals around the circular ring configuration;
the pressure measurement module comprises a pressure sensor with a first end arranged in the watertight cabin and a second end penetrating through and exposed to an outside of a lower hemispherical shell, for measuring a current pressure;
the core navigation system comprises an underwater navigation system and an air navigation system which are independent from each other;
the underwater navigation system comprises a fixing platform arranged at a middle part of the watertight cabin and provided with an underwater navigation control module and a relay; the underwater navigation control module is integrated with a 2.4G wireless communication module and a first attitude sensor respectively configured to communicate and obtain a current navigation attitude information of the vehicle; each of the four cantilever arms of the fixing frame is provided with a second brushless motor, and each second brushless motor is mounted with a marine propeller via a coupling; the 2.4G wireless communication module is configured to receive a startup instruction from a computer to wake up the underwater navigation control module, so that the underwater and aerial vehicle autonomously performs tasks according to a task instruction and automatically floats after completing the task instruction;
the air navigation system comprises an auxiliary fixing platform arranged at the middle part of the watertight cabin and provided with a flight control module, a remote control receiver and a power management module; the flight control module is integrated with a second attitude sensor, and each of the four cantilever arms of the fixing frame is also provided with a first brushless motor, and each first brushless motor is mounted with a rotor via a coupling;
the energy supply system is arranged at a lower part of the watertight cabin, and comprises a battery mounting bracket fixed to the circular ring configuration of the fixing frame via screws and nuts, a lithium battery pack, a current distribution board and an adjustable voltage distribution board are placed in the battery mounting bracket, a first electronic speed controller and a second electronic speed controller are mounted on an upper end surface of the battery mounting bracket; the first electronic speed controller is connected with the first brushless motor via a cable, and the second electronic speed controller is connected with the second brushless motor via a cable;
the lithium battery pack is connected to the power management module, the adjustable voltage distribution board and the first electronic speed controller via the current distribution hoard; the power management module is also connected with the flight control module which is signally connected with the first electronic speed controller and the remote control receiver; the adjustable voltage distribution board is also connected with the second electronic speed controller via the relay, and with the underwater navigation control module via a reed switch, the underwater navigation control module is also signally connected with the relay, the second electronic speed controller, the first and second attitude sensor and the pressure sensor;
the watertight charging port comprises a watertight connector with a first end arranged in the watertight cabin and connected with a charging port of the lithium battery pack, and a second end extended out of the watertight cabin and fixed via a charging-port fixing member, and the second end of the watertight connector is configured to connect to a charging port for charging during charging.

2. The underwater and aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein a vehicle undercarriage is provided on an outer edge of a lower end surface of each of the four cantilever arms.

3. The underwater and aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the four cantilever arms are arranged around the circular ring configuration in a cross shape, and have length of 145 mm.

4. The underwater and aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the watertight cabin is a spherical structure formed by fixing an upper hemispherical shell and a lower hemispherical shell via screws and nuts.

5. The underwater and aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the pressure sensor is arranged in the watertight cabin via a sensor fixing member, and a waterproof sealant is also provided between the pressure sensor and the watertight cabin.

6. The underwater and aerial vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein an upper surface and a lower surface of the circular ring configuration at middle of the fixing frame each are provided with two sealing grooves, and silicone O-ring seals are embedded in the sealing grooves for achieving a sealing between the fixing frame and the watertight cabin.

Assignees

• Univ Zhejiang

Inventors

• Ji Daxiong
• Yao Xin
• Zhou Jialong
• Zhou Shuai
• Lou Xuhan

Classifications

• B64U10/14

  with four distinct rotor axes, e.g. quadcopters · CPC title

• B64U50/30

  Supply or distribution of electrical power · CPC title

• B64C39/024 Primary

  of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV · CPC title

• B63G8/001

  Underwater vessels adapted for special purposes, e.g. unmanned underwater vessels; Equipment specially adapted therefor, e.g. docking stations (self-propelled or direction controlled diving chambers with mechanical link to a base B63C11/42) · CPC title

• B63G2008/005

  remotely controlled · CPC title