• 专利附录
  • 专利说明
  • 权利要求
  • 类似技术
  • 同族专利
  • 引用文献
  • 法律状态
  • 优先权
    • 专利摘要:
    The present invention relates to an underwater system for aquaculture work comprising a colony of robots comprising: a nurse robot with means to float on water, means to move along the surface of the water, a control module and an umbilical cable for communications and power transmission; a master robot connected to the nurse robot by means of the umbilical cable, which comprises means of movement, to move under the water surface, and a second umbilical cable; and a slave robot connected to the master robot by the second umbilical cable, which comprises means of movement, to move under the surface of the water, and a claw-type claw, configured to perform an underwater 3D manipulation of aquaculture work. (Machine-translation by Google Translate, not legally binding)
    公开号:ES2729816A1
    申请号:ES201930798
    申请日:2019-09-16
    公开日:2019-11-06
    发明作者:Pazmino Roque Jacinto Saltaren；Gutierrez Juan Sebastian Cely；Barroso Alejandro Rodriguez；Tuesta Gerardo Alejandro Portilla；Oz Yakrangi
    申请人:Universidad Politecnica de Madrid；
    IPC主号:
    专利说明:

    [0001]
    [0002]
    [0003]
    [0004] OBJECT OF THE INVENTION
    [0005] The present invention relates to the technical field of aquaculture and more specifically to the cultivation, control, collection and other work of plant underwater species, such as algae, by means of a mobile colony of robots coordinated with each other.
    [0006]
    [0007] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
    [0008] Aquaculture, the fastest growing sector in world food production, has grown on an industrial scale by supplying humans with more than half of its seafood. Aquaculture technologies have advanced significantly in recent decades, supporting increasing production scales and reducing production costs and risks. However, many types of aquaculture remain labor-intensive, which requires that humans maintain the infrastructure, feed and care for cultivated species, and carry out key activities, such as manual product collection. Social and environmental pressures and biological needs are creating opportunities for aquatic farms to be located in more exposed waters and further from the coast, which increases costs, particularly those associated with human maintenance logistics and intervention activities .
    [0009]
    [0010] Algae have been used for hundreds of years as human food and in folk remedies, for animal consumption and as an agricultural fertilizer. The use of red algae (agar and carrageenan) and brown (alginate) matrix polysaccharides are basic in the food, chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Recent discoveries have found many other interesting properties for health, energy and food, such as in terms of energy use, brown algae contain high levels of carbohydrates, which contribute up to 55% (w / w ) of dry biomass. Therefore, brown seaweed is an ideal renewable and sustainable biomass due to its abundance and high levels of sugar, which can be used for the production of bioethanol and chemicals. There are also other investigations for the production of electrical energy, through the use of the anaerobic process of algae.
    [0011] In the case of health, there are studies on the property of algae to cure diseases, especially brown algae have been studied extensively as a rich source of bioactive phenolic compounds and phenolic compounds are recognized for their extensive biological functionalities including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, antimicrobial and several others.
    [0012]
    [0013] Most macroalgae species of industrial interest are obtained by exploitation of natural populations. However, the growing demand for raw materials by industry, coupled with the overexploitation and destruction of natural grasslands, has enhanced the development of cultivation methods as an alternative to the supply of biomass. Among the known techniques for the cultivation of macroalgae are a wide range of options that include crops in the sea, crops in wells and crops in tanks. However, only crops in the sea and in ponds from vegetative propagation have prevailed as commercially profitable, but for the production of brown algae, which usually measure up to 40 meters in length, the pools limit their production and are sown in the sea tied on ropes of the sea surface, when naturally it usually grows in the depth of the sea.
    [0014]
    [0015] The wide extent of the seabed is almost unknown, since the ocean covers 70% of the planet's surface and, however, only 0.05% of the entire ocean is known. For this reason, the seabed has a huge area of land that can be used for the development of seaweed aquaculture, which has not occurred so far, among other problems, due to the difficulties involved in planting more than 40 meters below Water.
    [0016]
    [0017] Taking into account that a deep dive is one that is done below 15 meters, it is not recommended to exceed 30 meters deep and it is usually established as a maximum depth of recreational diving with air as a respiratory mixture 40 meters deep. Since each person breathes at a different rate and the deeper the air is consumed faster; Divers carry an indicator that lets them know how much air they have left in the tank. However, it can be said that divers in calm and warm waters diving between 15 and 30 meters deep can spend about 1 hour underwater with a standard tank. Adding to this the diving problems, due to the environmental conditions of the water, such as pressure, losses temperatures and poor visibility make it practically unfeasible to use people for these aquaculture work.
    [0018]
    [0019] On the other hand, scientific knowledge of the deep seas is growing rapidly through the use of a variety of technologies among which underwater robots are currently, generally offering better information at a lower cost. These robots have allowed deep water operations to be carried out, due to their ability to withstand high pressures and low temperatures; They have also been able to intervene in disasters such as leaks in oil facilities. There are two main groups of underwater robots, the ROV (remotely operated vehicles) and AUV (autonomous underwater vehicles) and the main advantages and disadvantages of the ROV with respect to the AUV, are based on the use of the umbilical cord. Through which the ROVs have the possibility of transmitting the electrical energy to the electrical and electronic devices of the equipment underwater, allowing to have a real-time communication between the surface equipment and the underwater robot. By having the electrical energy from the surface, there is practically no restriction on the time that an ROV can be inside the water.
    [0020]
    [0021] Industrialized aquaculture works require a permanent activity of the means of production in an environment that is hostile to human life and that consequently must be carried out by automated machines such as these underwater robots and specific mechanisms. However, in the state of the art there are only weak associations between robotic systems and aquaculture work, just a few robots applied to specific tasks that involve, for example, the collection of mollusks, fish feeding and monitoring of oceanic and biological variables.
    [0022]
    [0023] Systems related to underwater work can be found in the CN106614210B patent, where a robotic system is disclosed consisting of an automatic feeding robot for aquaculture comprising a feeding body and a dragging device. The feeding body is connected to the dragging device, and a floating device is installed in the feeding body. In this case it is a specific device for feeding fish on farms. The CN106509053B patent discloses a washing system and shell brushing robot for aquaculture. The utility model CN204599019U discloses an aquaculture robot of Unmanned underwater operation which in this case is a typical ROV robot with cameras, sensors and manipulator arms.
    [0024]
    [0025] As can be deduced from the above, the state of the art lacks active and permanent solutions for aquaculture work based on collaborative robotic technologies, which can optimize and provide greater autonomy tasks such as planting, control, collection or cultivation of seabed .
    [0026]
    [0027] DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
    [0028] In order to achieve the objectives and avoid the aforementioned drawbacks, the present invention describes, in a first aspect, an underwater system for aquaculture work comprising a colony of underwater robots, where each of the underwater robots comprises a nurse robot, a master robot and at least one slave robot, where the nurse robot comprises:
    [0029] - means to float on water;
    [0030] - first means of travel to move along the surface of the water;
    [0031] - a control module, with positioning and communications means; and - a first umbilical cable for communications and energy transmission arranged in a lower part of the mother robot;
    [0032] where the master robot, which is connected to the nurse robot by means of the first umbilical cable, comprises:
    [0033] - a few second means of movement to move under the water surface; and
    [0034] - a second umbilical cable for communications and power transmission;
    [0035] and where the slave robot, which is connected to the master robot by the second umbilical cable, comprises:
    [0036] - third means of movement to move under the surface of the water; and
    [0037] - a clamp type clamp configured to perform underwater 3D manipulation of aquaculture work.
    [0038] In one of the embodiments of the invention, the nurse robot further comprises an adjustable solar panel to provide power to the system. Thus, advantageously, the autonomy of the system is practically unlimited.
    [0039]
    [0040] To regulate the length of the umbilical cable and thus, to be able to adapt the system to different working depths, it is contemplated to have a servo-controlled reel in the nurse robot, connected to one end of the umbilical cable that joins said nurse robot with the master robot.
    [0041]
    [0042] Additionally, in one of the embodiments of the invention, the master robot further comprises perception means, which in turn comprise a side scan sonar and onboard cameras. Thus, the underwater working environment can be advantageously recreated and transmitted by the umbilical cable data connection to the nurse robot, which can upload the information to the cloud from the communication system of the control module or make it accessible in real time to a Operator through a user interface.
    [0043]
    [0044] In one of the embodiments of the invention, the slave robot comprises lights and vision cameras arranged in its front part, to assist the remote control of the slave robot. Advantageously, this allows us to know more precisely the environment of the slave robot and obtain a direct image of the elements to be handled, such as cultivated algae or the seabed.
    [0045]
    [0046] The means of displacement of each of the robots that form the underwater robot, it is contemplated that they can be propeller impellers.
    [0047]
    [0048] Optionally, in one of the embodiments of the invention, the claw-type claw of the slave robot has additional work tools for specific aquaculture work.
    [0049] In a particular embodiment of the invention, the claw-type claw of the slave robot has six degrees of freedom. Thus, its movements allow to reproduce all the movements that would make the arms of a person in the work of aquaculture.
    [0050]
    [0051] To preserve the electronic components of the slave robot, a sealed module with one or more compartments in which to accommodate said components is contemplated.
    [0052]
    [0053] The control module of the nurse robot, according to one of the embodiments of the invention, comprises a microprocessor configured to send orders to the first means of travel based on a previously assigned work position. Thus, advantageously, by distributing the work space on the water among all the robots in the colony, for example as a grid, and assigning to each robot a work sub-area, the nurse robots remain centered in their work sub-area. Thanks to the positioning means, if one detects that it is deviating from its assigned position, the control module sends the corresponding order to the displacement means to recover the assigned position. This control process can be performed automatically or, according to another embodiment of the invention where the control module can also comprise a user interface with a cloud connection, can be done remotely by an operator with access to the data in real time.
    [0054]
    [0055] The colony of aquaculture robots of the present invention has a unique design, in which all robots cooperate with each other to perform specific tasks that, together, respond to more complex work planned for an entire work area. Therefore, the colony of the present invention represents an advantageous solution for the development of an autonomous and permanent colony of underwater robots capable of sowing, monitoring and harvesting algae, as a human farmer would.
    [0056]
    [0057] For all the above, the present invention represents a great advance in the immeasurable possibilities of taking advantage of the oceanic 3D space as a power source based on sustainable aquaculture, permanent organized and technologically advanced, which raises the hope of solving the serious problems of food that many regions of our planet are pressing.
    [0058] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
    [0059] To complete the description of the invention and in order to help a better understanding of its characteristics, in accordance with a preferred example of its realization, a set of drawings is attached where, for illustrative and non-limiting purposes, represented the following figures:
    [0060]
    [0061] - Figure 1 represents a general view of an aquaculture robot, comprising a nurse robot, a master underwater robot and several slave underwater robots.
    [0062]
    [0063] - Figure 2 represents a possible matrix distribution of the work space of the colony of aquaculture robots.
    [0064]
    [0065] - Figure 3 represents a nurse robot, according to one of the embodiments of the invention.
    [0066]
    [0067] - Figure 4 represents an underwater aquaculture slave robot, according to one of the embodiments of the invention.
    [0068]
    [0069] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
    [0070] The present invention discloses an underwater system for aquaculture work, especially focused on seaweed. Thus, one of the achievements refers to a colony of aquaculture robots formed by a set of underwater robots that cooperate with each other, using their articulated arms to perform tasks that in turn form a set of planned tasks for aquaculture applications and for their own sustainability
    [0071]
    [0072] Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a colonizing unit, which is structured in a mother robot 11 , a master underwater robot 6 and several slave underwater robots 4 .
    [0073]
    [0074] The surface nurse 11 , which can be seen in figures 1 and 3 , is an electronic device designed to float on the water, equipped with flexible solar panels 1 , batteries that feed the entire system and are rechargeable through the panels solar 1 , a GPS positioning module and satellite communications 12, (where communications can be shared to the surrounding units by a wireless system), a control computer 22 and electric propeller impellers 2 for move the nurse robot to an assigned work position on the surface of the water, such as in the distribution of virtual reticles 20 shown in Figure 2 . The nurse robot has a high level control and user interface with connection 21 to the cloud. Through an umbilical cable 3 of power and communications, it is connected to the submarine master robot 6 , which functions as a concentrator system. The nurse robot 11 has a controlled servo reel 14 to supply and collect an umbilical cable 3 of power and communications with optical fiber.
    [0075]
    [0076] The submarine master robot 6 , which can be seen in figure 1 , serves as a gateway for the connection with the plurality of slave underwater robots 4 , fulfilling a function of hub concentrator system. It is connected with the nurse robot through the umbilical cord 3 , which is a cable through which it receives power and transmits data in both directions by optical fiber.When maintaining a communication by optical fiber, the data is transmitted at very high speed, which allows to observe underwater images on the surface, make real-time control tasks and perform telemanipulation activities On the other hand, the cable also serves to hold the different slave robots together to the rest of the system By means of the positioning system of the nurse robot 11 , the positioning of the system of the underwater robots, both masters 6 and slaves 4. The location of the master robot can be varied by the action of a set of imp ulsores 13. The master robot 6 also has the perception resources of the side scan sonar and the on-board cameras 8 to recreate the environment. The master robot 6 supplies the power and motion control to the plurality of slave robots 4 connected, in its function as a gateway, through local umbilical cables 7 .
    [0077]
    [0078] Underwater slave robots 4 , which are observed in figures 1 and 4, are simple operational units that can also be referred to as underwater drnnes, which fulfill the functions of aquaculture handlers. Each of the slave underwater robots 4 has several impellers 10, which in a preferred embodiment are configured as a quadrotor type drone (with four impellers). Each slave robot 4 has a claw 5 or clamp strategically arranged in its lower middle part that can do 3D manipulation and aquaculture work in the assigned workspace. In addition, each slave robot 4 has two watertight housings 15, the first one houses the power electronics of the motors of the claw 5 of handling, which has a multi-purpose clamp whose electronics are also housed in said housing, while in the second housing there are sensory navigation systems, such as an inertial measurement unit, a barometer and a leak sensor. Finally, on the outer front of the slave robot, some lights (18) and cameras (17) are arranged to assist the remote control of the slave robots by an operator.
    [0079]
    [0080] A colony 19 of aquaculture robots (such as that of Figure 2), formed by a plurality of robots with the structure shown in Figure 1 , is distributed along the work surface according to a previously designed distribution. For example, the surface can be divided into a grid, as seen in Figure 2 , and assign to each of the aquaculture robots one of the resulting squares 20 . The surface nurse 11 , thanks to a GPS positioning and communications module 12 , is able to maintain the assigned position or move to it using the propeller impellers 2. The communication system of the nurse robot functions as user interface, so that it allows the interaction of an operator with access to the cloud.
    [0081]
    [0082] The autonomy of the underwater system of the present invention is practically unlimited, since it receives its power from the rechargeable batteries by the energy captured by the solar panels. Said panels, according to one of the embodiments, are orientable, so that by means of a solar tracking control incorporated into the system, maximum utilization of the available solar energy can be guaranteed.
    [0083]
    [0084] Once the nurse robot 11 is in the assigned workspace, the master robot 6 is responsible for the recognition of the area using its perception resources, which in one of the embodiments consist of cameras and a scanning sonar 8 . These resources of perception allow with total precision the particularities of the terrain under the robots and adapt the depth of their performance in aquaculture work by regulating the length of the umbilical cable 3 by means of the servo reel 14 of the nurse robot . The master robot 6 works as a concentrator, according to a map of the environment prepared from the information obtained by its own perception resources and completed with the collection by the slave robots, and can also be combined with marine plans of the work zone. Finally, by means of an artificial intelligence software, the slave robots collaborate with each other to carry out the desired works, which include the manipulation of marine plant species using clamp 5 with, according to one of the embodiments, six degrees of freedom.
    [0085]
    [0086] The underwater system of the present invention, according to one of the embodiments, contemplates that several slave robots collaborate together to perform cooperative work such as planting, pruning, collecting or transporting plant material for feeding, for example, fish on farms.
    [0087]
    [0088] A colony of permanent aquaculture robots can monitor ocean and biological variables, as well as monitor their own activities and upload all that information to the cloud to be subsequently processed by a Big Data data management system. This learning allows to purify the operation and autonomy of the colony of robots until endowing it with an advanced degree of autonomy based on artificial intelligence.
    [0089]
    [0090] The present invention should not be limited to the embodiment described herein. Other configurations can be made by those skilled in the art in view of the present description. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is defined by the following claims.
    权利要求:
    Claims (11)
    [1]
    1. Underwater system for aquaculture work comprising a colony (19) of underwater robots, characterized in that each of the underwater robots comprises a nurse robot (11), a master robot (6) and at least one slave robot (4 ), where the nurse robot includes:
    - means to float on water;
    - first means of movement (2) to move along the surface of the water;
    - a control module (22), with positioning and communications means; and
    - a first umbilical cable (3) for communications and energy transmission arranged in a lower part of the mother robot;
    where the master robot (6), which is connected to the nurse robot by means of the first umbilical cable (3), comprises:
    - a few second means of movement (13) to move under the water surface; and
    - a second umbilical cable (7) for communications and power transmission;
    and where the slave robot (4), which is connected to the master robot by the second umbilical cable (7), comprises:
    - third means of movement to move under the surface of the water; and
    - a claw (5) of clamp type configured to perform an underwater 3D manipulation of aquaculture work.
    [2]
    2. System according to claim 1, wherein the nurse robot further comprises an adjustable solar panel (1) to provide power to the system.
    [3]
    3. System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the nurse robot comprises a servo-controlled reel (14), connected to one end of the first umbilical cable (3), configured to regulate the length of said cable as a function of a depth of determined work
    [4]
    4. System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the master robot further comprises perception means (8) comprising a side scan sonar and onboard cameras to recreate the underwater working environment.
    [5]
    5. System according to any of the preceding claims, wherein the slave robot further comprises lights (18) and vision cameras (17) arranged in its front part, to assist the remote control of the slave robot.
    [6]
    6. System according to any of the preceding claims wherein at least one of the first, second or third means of travel, are propeller impellers.
    [7]
    7. System according to any of the preceding claims wherein the claw-type claw of the slave robot further comprises additional work tools for specific aquaculture work.
    [8]
    8. System according to any of the preceding claims wherein the claw-type claw of the slave robot has six degrees of freedom.
    [9]
    9. System according to any of the preceding claims wherein the slave robot further comprises at least one waterproof module for housing electronic components.
    [10]
    10. System according to any of the preceding claims wherein the control module comprises a microprocessor configured to send orders to the first means of travel based on a previously assigned work position.
    [11]
    11. System according to any of the preceding claims wherein the control module of the nurse robot further comprises a user interface with a cloud connection.
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    同族专利:
    公开号 | 公开日
    ES2729816B2|2021-06-25|
    引用文献:
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    法律状态:
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