# US 10,308,334 B2 · Self-draining oil buoyancy regulating device for underwater robots

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- Number: US 10,308,334 B2
- Document ID: US10308334B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 15/326,475
- Filed: 2015-10-19
- Published: 2018-07-26
- Granted: 2019-06-04
- Earliest claimed: 2015-10-19
- Assignees: Zhejiang University
- Applicants: Zhejiang University
- Inventors: Changlin Kang; Chunlin Zhou; Rong Xiong; Qi Zhu; Qiuguo Zhu; Yong Liu
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10308334B2

## CPC

- B63G 8/24: Automatic depth adjustment; Safety equipment for increasing buoyancy, e.g. detachable ballast, floating bodies
- B63C 11/52: Tools specially adapted for working underwater, not otherwise provided for
- B63G 8/22: Adjustment of buoyancy by water ballasting; Emptying equipment for ballast tanks ({conduits for emptying or ballasting on vessels in general B63B13/00;} stabilising vessels using ballast tanks B63B43/06)
- F04B 49/065: {and making use of computers}
- B63G: OFFENSIVE OR DEFENSIVE ARRANGEMENTS ON VESSELS; MINE-LAYING; MINE-SWEEPING; SUBMARINES; AIRCRAFT CARRIERS (means of attack or defence in general, e.g. turrets F41H)
- B63C: LAUNCHING, HAULING-OUT, OR DRY-DOCKING OF VESSELS; LIFE-SAVING IN WATER; EQUIPMENT FOR DWELLING OR WORKING UNDER WATER; MEANS FOR SALVAGING OR SEARCHING FOR UNDERWATER OBJECTS (floating nets, floating slipways, or the like for recovering aircraft from the water B63B35/52)
- F04B: POSITIVE-DISPLACEMENT MACHINES FOR LIQUIDS; PUMPS (machines for liquids, or pumps, of rotary-piston or oscillating-piston type F04C; non-positive-displacement pumps F04D; pumping of fluid by direct contact of another fluid or by using inertia of fluid to be pumped F04F)

## Abstract

The present invention provides a self-draining oil buoyancy regulating device for underwater robots, wherein the accumulator, lower hatch cover, hatch trunk, upper hatch cover and bladder are connected; the water-proof connector is fixed on the upper hatch cover; the depth-pressure sensor is settled on the lower hatch cover; the upper valve block, hydraulic-operated check valve and lower valve block are connected; the lower valve block is fixed on the lower hatch cover; the pump outlet pressure sensor and the accumulator pressure sensor are on the lower valve block; the directional valve and the upper valve block are connected; the hydraulic pump motor assembly and the relief valve are both connected with the lower valve block; the depth-pressure sensor, pump outlet pressure sensor and accumulator pressure sensor are all connected with the control panel; the control panel is connected with the external power supply and the host computer.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A self-draining oil buoyancy regulating device for underwater robots, comprising: an accumulator (1), a lower hatch cover (2), a lower valve block (3), a hydraulic-operated check valve (4), an upper valve block (5), a pump outlet pressure sensor (19), an accumulator pressure sensor (20), a depth-pressure sensor (21), a hydraulic pump motor assembly (22), a directional valve (23), a relief valve (24), a control circuit board (25), a hatch shell (30), an upper hatch cover (31), a bladder (32), a water-proof connector (33) and a host computer, wherein:
the accumulator (1), the lower hatch cover (2), the hatch shell (30), the upper hatch cover (31) and the bladder (32) are fixedly connected in sequence; the water-proof connector (33) is fixed on the upper hatch cover (31);
the depth-pressure sensor (21) is mounted on the lower hatch cover (2) to measure an underwater pressure; the upper valve block (5), the hydraulic-operated check valve (4) and the lower valve block (3) are connected through piping in sequence; the lower valve block (3) is fixed on the lower hatch cover (2);
the pump outlet pressure sensor (19) and the accumulator pressure sensor (20) are mounted on the lower valve block (3); the directional valve (23) and the upper valve block (5) are connected through piping; the hydraulic pump motor assembly (22) and the relief valve (24) are both connected with the lower valve block (3) through piping;
the depth-pressure sensor (21), the pump outlet pressure sensor (19) and the accumulator pressure sensor (20) are all connected with the control circuit board (25); the control circuit board (25) is connected with an external power supply and the host computer respectively by the water-proof connector (33).

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The self-draining oil buoyancy regulating device for the underwater robots, as recited in claim 1, wherein on a top surface of the lower valve block (3) there are a lower valve block 10th port (44), a lower valve block 11th port (45) and a lower valve block 12th port (46); on sides of the lower valve block (3) there are a lower valve block 2nd port (36), a lower valve block 3rd port (37), a lower valve block 4th port (38), a lower valve block 5th port (39), a lower valve block 6th port (40), a lower valve block 7th port (41), a lower valve block 8th port (42) and a lower valve block 9th port (43); on a bottom surface of the lower valve block (3) there is a lower valve block 1st port (35); inside the lower valve block (3) there are runners, wherein the lower valve block 2nd port (36), the lower valve block 3rd port (37), the lower valve block 9th port (43) and the lower valve block 12th port (46) are connected by a first runner; the lower valve block 1st port (35), the lower valve block 7th port (41), the lower valve block 8th port (42) and the lower valve block 11th port (45) are connected by a second runner; the lower valve block 4th port (38), the lower valve block 5th port (39), the lower valve block 6th port (40) and the lower valve block 10th port (44) are connected by a third runner;
wherein the lower valve block 1st port (35) is connected with the accumulator (1) through the lower hatch cover (2); the lower valve block 2nd port (36) is connected with an oil draining outlet of the hydraulic pump motor assembly (22); the lower valve block 3rd port (37) is connected with an oil inlet of the relief valve (24); the lower valve block 4th port (38) is connected with an oil outlet of the relief valve (24); the lower valve block 5th port (39) is connected with an oil return outlet of the hydraulic pump motor assembly (22); the lower valve block 6th port (40) is connected with the bladder (32); the lower valve block 7th port (41), the lower valve block 8th port (42) and the lower valve block 9th port (43) are blocked; the lower valve block 10th port (44) is connected with an oil return outlet of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4); the lower valve block 11th port (45) is connected with a first working port of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4); the lower valve block 12th port (46) is connected with an oil inlet of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4).

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The self-draining oil buoyancy regulating device for the underwater robots, as recited in claim 2, wherein on the upper valve block (5) there are an upper valve block 1st port (47), an upper valve block 2nd port (48), an upper valve block 3rd port (49), an upper valve block 4th port (50); wherein a second working port of the directional valve (23) is connected with a second working port of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4) through the upper valve block 1st port (47); an oil outlet of the directional valve (23) is connected with an oil return outlet of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4) through the upper valve block 2nd port (48); a first working port of the directional valve (23) is connected with the first working port of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4) through the upper valve block 3rd port (49); an oil inlet of the directional valve (23) is connected with the oil inlet of the hydraulic-operated check valve (4) through the upper valve block 4th port (50).

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The self-draining oil buoyancy regulating device for the underwater robots, as recited in claim 1, wherein the control circuit board (25) further comprises: a first power supply module, a second power supply module, a communication drive module, a voltage reference stabilizing module, a first filter module, a second filter module, a third filter module, an AD (Analog-to-digital) converter module and single-chip microcomputer; wherein the first power supply module transfers an external 12V power supply to an internal 12V power supply inside the control panel; the second power supply module transfers the internal 12V power supply inside the control panel to a 5V power supply for the single-chip microcomputer; the first power supply module is connected to the second power supply module and the voltage reference stabilizing module respectively; input ends of a power supply of the pump outlet pressure sensor (19), the accumulator pressure sensor (20), the depth-pressure sensor (21), the hydraulic pump motor assembly (22) and the directional valve (23) are all connected with the second power supply module; a signal cable of the depth-pressure sensor (21) is connected with the first filter module; a signal cable of the pump outlet pressure sensor (19) is connected with the second filter module; a signal cable of the accumulator pressure sensor (20) is connected with the third filter module; the first filter module, the second filter module, the third filter module and the voltage reference stabilizing module are all connected with the AD converter module; the AD converter module is connected with an input end of the single-chip microcomputer; control cables of the hydraulic pump motor assembly (22) and the directional valve (23) are connected with an output end of the single-chip microcomputer; the communication drive module is connected with the single-chip microcomputer; the first power supply module is connected with the external power supply through a power cord of the water-proof connector (33); the communication drive module is connected with the host computer through a signal cable of the water-proof connector (33).