Reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12434801-B1
Application number	US-202519241308-A
Country	US
Kind code	B1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2025
Priority date	Mar 4, 2024
Publication date	Oct 7, 2025
Grant date	Oct 7, 2025

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation, which includes an operation compartment, two buoyancy compartments connected with the operation compartment by connection rods, and a folding mechanism located within the buoyancy compartments and the connection rods to drive rotation of the connection rods to switch underwater vehicle working modes. The underwater vehicle working modes include an unfolded mode and a folded mode. In the unfolded mode, the two buoyancy compartments are unfolded along a axial direction of the operation compartment to both sides of the operation compartment, and the two buoyancy compartments and the operation compartment are in series-connected state; in the folded state, the two buoyancy compartments are folded above the operation compartment at an included angle, and the two buoyancy compartments are in parallel connected state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation, comprising: an operation compartment, two buoyancy compartments connected with the operation compartment through connection rods and a folding mechanism located within the buoyancy compartments and the connection rods to drive rotation of the connection rods to switch underwater vehicle working modes, wherein the underwater vehicle working modes comprise an unfolded mode and a folded mode; in the unfolded mode, the two buoyancy compartments are unfolded along a axial direction of the operation compartment to both sides of the operation compartment, and the two buoyancy compartments and the operation compartment are in series-connected state; in the folded state, the two buoyancy compartments are folded above the operation compartment at an included angle, and the two buoyancy compartments are in parallel connected state.

2. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 1 , wherein the buoyancy compartments each comprise a buoyancy compartment housing, a buoyancy compartment housing supporting structure located within the buoyancy compartment housing, a propeller located at a fore or aft side, a propeller driving motor located within the buoyancy compartment housing to drive rotation of the propeller, and two channel thrusters symmetrically disposed on the buoyancy compartment housing along an axial direction; the buoyancy compartment housing supporting structure comprises a fore supporting ring, a middle supporting ring and an aft supporting ring sequentially disposed along the buoyancy compartment.

3. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 1 , wherein the operation compartment comprises an operation compartment housing, an operation compartment housing supporting structure located within the operation compartment housing, an aft connection rod locking mechanism located within the operation compartment housing to lock up the connection rod, a mechanical arm connected with the operation compartment housing, a mechanical arm fairing located at a notch beneath the operation compartment housing, a mechanical arm fairing opening-closing mechanism for driving the mechanical arm fairing to open or close, and a power battery located within the operation compartment housing to provide power for the underwater vehicle.

4. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 3 , wherein the operation compartment housing supporting structure comprises two operation compartment supporting rings symmetrically distributed along an axis of the operation compartment housing and opposite in direction; each operation compartment supporting ring is provided with a fore connection rod mounting seat and an aft connection rod mounting seat.

5. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 4 , wherein the aft connection rod locking mechanism comprises a locking electric push rod and a locking hook fixed on the aft connection rod mounting seat; one end of the locking hook is shaped like hook, one end of the locking hook is provided with a sliding groove and slidably connected with a mounting shaft on an output shaft of the locking electric push rod, and a middle position of the locking hook is hinged with the aft connection rod mounting seat.

6. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 3 , wherein the mechanical arm fairing opening-closing mechanism comprises a mounting plate located on a cross section of the operation compartment, an opening-closing driving motor on the mounting plate, a worm screw connected with an output shaft of the opening-closing driving motor, a worm gear meshed with the worm screw, a linkage rod fixedly connected with the worm gear, a sliding block sleeved on the linkage rod, a rack disposed on the linkage rod, a pinion penetrated through the sliding block and meshed with the rack, a big gear penetrated through the sliding block and meshed with the pinion, a cam disposed in coaxialty with the big gear, and a mechanical arm fairing support connected with the sliding block and slidable in a slide groove of the cam; a protruding column is disposed on both sides of the sliding block respectively, wherein an inner column is used for slide within a slide groove of the mounting plate, and an outer column is used as a rotary shaft of the mechanical arm fairing support to connect with the mechanical arm fairing support.

7. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 1 , wherein the connection rods comprise fore connection rods and aft connection rods; each of the fore connection rods comprises a fore connection rod body, a fore connection rod proximal shaft, and a fore connection rod distal shaft; each of the aft connection rods comprises an aft connection rod body and an aft connection rod proximal shaft; in the unfolded mode, the fore connection rods and the aft connection rods all are parallel to an axis of the underwater vehicle; the fore connection rods connect the operation compartment with two buoyancy compartments at both sides respectively, and the fore connection rods and the aft connection rods are all received in the corresponding buoyancy compartments; in the folded mode, the fore connection rods and the aft connection rods all are perpendicular to the axis of the underwater vehicle, and the fore connection rods and the aft connection rods all connect the operation compartment with the corresponding buoyancy compartments.

8. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 7 , wherein the folding mechanism comprises a folding driving motor, a rope driving mechanism and a gear driving mechanism; the folding driving motor drives, through the rope driving mechanism and the gear driving mechanism, the fore connection rod proximal shaft, the fore connection rod distal shaft, and the aft connection rod proximal shaft to move.

9. The reconfigurable underwater vehicle capable of far-distance cruising and underwater interactive operation according to claim 8 , wherein the rope driving mechanism comprises a fore gear shaft rope driving mechanism, a fore connection rod distal shaft rope driving mechanism and an aft gear shaft rope driving mechanism,
the fore gear shaft rope driving mechanism comprises a folding master driving wire wheel, a fore transition wire wheel, a fore gear shaft wire wheel, and a fore gear shaft driving rope; there are two fore gear shaft driving ropes, and start ends of the fore gear shaft driving ropes are both fixed on the folding master driving wire wheel, and wound in opposite directions; two fore gear shaft driving ropes bypass the fore transition wire wheel to change a direction from axial wire distribution to radial wire distribution, and two fore gear shaft driving ropes are wound on the fore gear shaft wire wheel in opposite directions respectively, with their terminating ends fixed on the fore gear shaft wire wheel; when the folding master driving wire wheel rotates, the fore gear shaft wire wheel rotates synchronously in an opposite direction;
the fore connection rod distal shaft rope driving mechanism comprises a fore gear shaft, a fore connection rod proximal transition big wire wheel, a fore connection rod proximal transition small wire wheel, a for

Assignees

• Univ Southeast

Inventors

• Wu Jinming
• Ni Xijie
• Ni Zhonghua

Classifications

• B63G2008/007

  by means of a physical link to a base, e.g. wire, cable or umbilical · CPC title

• B63G2008/004

  autonomously operating · CPC title

• B63G2008/002

  unmanned · CPC title

• B63G8/001 Primary

  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

• B63G8/04

  Superstructure · CPC title