Anchor data communication system

Abstract

An anchor data communication system (1) for communication of measurement data, provided by instrumentation (2) mounted on a marine anchor (3) buried below a surface (5) of a mooring bed (4), including a first transponder (10) mounted on a line member (7, 3D) attached to said anchor (3) and connected by conductor means (11) to said instrumentation (2), and a second transponder (12, 12A) mounted on said line member (7, 3D) or suspended from a floating structure (8, 21A) and connected to a transceiver (9, 9A) on said floating structure (8, 21A), wherein an axis (10A, 12B) of an emission beam (10B, 12C) of at least one of said transponders (10, 12, 12A) is constrained in heading by said line member (7, 3D) to maximize the strength of signals from said first transponder (10) arriving at said second transponder (12, 12A).

Description

technical field [0001] Systems are known that provide data communication between instruments on a base structure embedded in a mooring bed below a body of water and data receiving equipment on a structure floating in the body of water above the mooring bed . Background technique [0002] European patent EP0820400B3 discloses a device for data communication between an instrument mounted on an anchor embedded in a mooring bed and a data receiving device on a floating vessel connected to the anchor by a mooring line. The present disclosure includes the entire electrical communication path as well as combinations of electrical and acoustic communication paths. The electrical communication path includes electrical conductors incorporated into the mooring lines that directly connect instruments on the anchor to data receiving equipment on the floating vessel. The combination of the disclosed electrical and acoustic communication paths comprises: an electrical conductor trailable...

AI Technical Summary

Problems solved by technology

[0003] Disadvantages of the entire electrical path disclosed include: the high cost of incorporating electrical conductors into long mooring lines to provide protection against handling hazards; problems of elongation of the body; and the vulnerability of the conductors at the external connections between mooring line sections, where such connection is between the mooring line and the anchor barge normally used to install and recover the mooring line Easily squeezed between the surfaces of the rollers

[0004] Disadvantages of the disclosed combined electrical and acoustic paths include dampening the acoustical transponder by the soil as it becomes embedded below the mooring bed surface, for example, by Closure over an acoustic transponder of an entry cavity in the soil of a mooring; sound due to attenuation and due to reflection and refraction through layers of seawater with different salt concentrations throughout the long transmission distance to a floating vessel Signal degradation issues; and signal drowning due to noise originating from floating ships

[0005] International patent applications WO2010 / 041929A1 and WO2010 / 062184A2 also disclose means for data communication along a path between an instrument mounted on an anchor embedded in a mooring bed and a data receiving device on a floating bed, however , in each application the disclosed device suffers from at least two of the disadvantages mentioned in the preceding paragraphs

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