Submarine cable inspection method

Abstract

The invention discloses a submarine cable inspection method which comprises the following steps: S1, sending a wireless communication instruction from a shore-based console, and remotely controlling an unmanned ship to carry an underwater robot to depart from a berth until a submarine cable inspection sea area; s3, an umbilical cable winch releases an umbilical cable in a self-adaptive mode, the underwater robot dives synchronously, and S4, according to feedback data of a line patrol sensor, the underwater robot is controlled to move forward along with the wiring track of the submarine cable, and the underwater robot is controlled to move forward along with the wiring track of the submarine cable. S5, the underwater robot floats upwards and is recycled, and the unmanned ship returns to a berth for berthing, so that an operator does not need to be arranged on the ship, adverse effects of severe sea conditions on personnel on the ship are avoided, and the safety of the underwater robot is improved. And the inspection flexibility of the submarine cable and the accuracy of the inspection result can be ensured.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of cable detection, and in particular to a submarine cable inspection method. Background Art

[0002] With the rapid development of offshore wind farm construction, it is necessary to lay submarine cables on the seabed for power transmission. Generally, submarine cables are protected by deep burial, riprap dams, etc., making it difficult to carry out daily inspections directly and their working conditions are also difficult to check.

[0003] At present, the underwater robots used for submarine cable inspection are all large construction robots, which are bulky and difficult to operate. This will reduce the flexibility of the inspection operation and is not conducive to the underwater robots approaching for inspection. In addition, since the location of offshore wind farms has strong winds and waves all year round, the sea conditions are poor, which is not conducive to stable measurement and affects the accuracy of the inspection results. Summary of the invention

[0004] Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides a submarine cable inspection method, which can ensure the inspection flexibility of the submarine cable and the accuracy of the inspection results.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the technical solution provided by the present invention is as follows:

[0006] The present invention provides a submarine cable inspection method, comprising the following steps: S1, sending a wireless communication command from a shore-based control console to remotely control an unmanned ship carrying an underwater robot to depart from a berth, and the unmanned ship is equipped with an umbilical cable winch and a gantry crane, until the submarine cable inspection sea area; the umbilical cable on the umbilical cable winch and the underwater robot form a wired communication connection; S2, remotely control the gantry crane to start, release the underwater robot loaded in a recovery frame of the gantry crane from the deck surface to underwater, and realize real-time positioning of the underwater robot through the cooperation of an ultra-short baseline positioning system; S3, remotely control the umbilical cable winch to start, so as to adaptively release the umbilical cable, and adjust the constant tension of the umbilical cable to a reasonable range, and then remotely control the underwater robot to dive; S4, after the underwater robot dives to a certain depth, the line patrol sensor of the underwater robot is remotely controlled to start, and according to the feedback data of the line patrol sensor, the underwater robot is controlled to follow the wiring trajectory of the submarine cable, and the multi-beam image mapping system of the underwater robot is used to obtain the images along the submarine cable to determine the status information of the submarine cable; S5, after the submarine cable inspection is completed, the underwater robot is remotely controlled to float to the surface, and the umbilical cable is tightened by the umbilical cable winch to drag the underwater robot to the recovery frame, and then the gantry crane is remotely controlled to lift the recovery frame loaded with the underwater robot to the same level as the deck surface to complete the recovery of the underwater robot, and then the unmanned boat is remotely controlled to return to the berth for berthing.

[0007] Furthermore, in S1, the generator of the unmanned ship is remotely controlled to start to power the underwater robot, the umbilical cable winch and the gantry crane, and then the underwater robot is remotely controlled to perform an initialization check through a wired communication link between the umbilical cable and the underwater robot.

[0008] Furthermore, in S2, the unmanned ship is equipped with a receiving array of an ultra-short baseline positioning system, and the underwater robot is equipped with an underwater beacon that cooperates with the receiving array to ensure the surface positioning and underwater positioning of the underwater robot.

[0009] Furthermore, the real-time underwater depth of the underwater robot is measured through the ultra-short baseline positioning system to ensure that the underwater robot can navigate at a constant altitude within 10 meters underwater.

[0010] Furthermore, in S4, the underwater robot is equipped with multiple electric thrusters to stably control the multi-degree-of-freedom posture of the underwater robot underwater to ensure that the unmanned ship always maintains a virtual anchor at a certain distance on the wiring track of the submarine cable.

[0011] Furthermore, in S4, when multiple line patrol sensors are deployed, they form a straight detection formation.

[0012] Furthermore, in S4, the submarine cable inspection data is transmitted in real time to the storage system of the shore-based control console through wireless communication transmission for storage.

[0013] Furthermore, in S5, the underwater robot is equipped with a positioning and navigation system for its own real-time positioning and navigation, and the positioning and navigation system includes a Doppler odometer and an inertial navigation component; before tightening the umbilical cable, the underwater robot is remotely operated to approach the stern of the unmanned ship with the positioning assistance of the positioning and navigation system, and maintain the same heading with the unmanned ship.

[0014] Furthermore, in S5, the underwater robot is dragged into the recovery frame through the guide frame of the gantry crane, and then the gantry crane is remotely operated after confirming that the underwater robot is in place through images.

[0015] Furthermore, the unmanned ship is a catamaran and is equipped with at least two sets of pump-jet propulsion systems to ensure that it can be anchored in a small area on the water surface; the power system of the unmanned ship provides driving energy for underwater robots, umbilical cable winches and gantry cranes to ensure the energy requirements for long-distance submarine cable inspections.

[0016] The technical solution provided by the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] Different wireless communication commands are issued through the shore-based control console to ensure remote real-time control of each inspection operation of the entire unmanned system, and then the underwater robot is remotely operated in real time through communication interconnection with the underwater robot to complete the inspection of the submarine cable. Therefore, there is no need to configure an operator on the unmanned ship, which can avoid the adverse effects of severe sea conditions on the personnel on board, that is, to ensure the personal safety of the operator, and also to ensure the flexibility of the submarine cable inspection and the accuracy of the inspection results. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] Figure 1 Shown is a flow chart of a submarine cable inspection method in an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 2 Shown is a schematic diagram of an unmanned submarine cable inspection system in an embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] To further illustrate the various embodiments, the present invention provides drawings. These drawings are part of the disclosure of the present invention, which are mainly used to illustrate the embodiments and can be used in conjunction with the relevant descriptions in the specification to explain the operating principles of the embodiments. With reference to these contents, a person of ordinary skill in the art should be able to understand other possible implementations and advantages of the present invention. The components in the figures are not drawn to scale, and similar component symbols are generally used to represent similar components.

[0021] The present invention will now be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0022] Reference Figure 1 As shown, this embodiment provides a submarine cable inspection method for detecting the status information of the submarine cable, such as confirming whether the submarine cable is exposed, damaged, etc., and adopts a method such as Figure 2 The submarine cable inspection unmanned system shown is implemented according to the following submarine cable inspection method. The unmanned system includes an unmanned ship 2, an underwater robot 1 for underwater cable inspection, and a long-distance communication component 6 for wireless communication command interconnection installed on the unmanned ship 2, a global positioning component 7 for locating the geographical location of the unmanned ship 2, an umbilical cable 4, an umbilical cable winch 3 and a gantry crane 5, and specifically includes the following steps:

[0023] Step S1, a wireless communication command is issued from the shore-based control console to remotely control the unmanned ship 2 carrying the underwater robot 1 from the berth, and the unmanned ship 2 is equipped with an umbilical cable winch 3 and a gantry crane 5 until it reaches the submarine cable inspection area, and the umbilical cable 4 on the umbilical cable winch 3 and the underwater robot 1 form a wired communication connection.

[0024] Step S2, remotely control the gantry crane 5 to start, release the underwater robot 1 loaded in the recovery frame of the gantry crane 5 from the deck surface into the water, and achieve real-time positioning of the underwater robot 1 through the cooperation of the ultra-short baseline positioning system.

[0025] Step S3, remotely controlling the umbilical cable winch 3 to start, to adaptively release the umbilical cable 4, and to adjust the constant tension of the umbilical cable 4 to a reasonable range, and then remotely controlling the underwater robot 1 to dive.

[0026] Step S4, after the underwater robot 1 dives to a certain depth, the line patrol sensor of the underwater robot 1 is remotely controlled to start, and according to the feedback data of the line patrol sensor, the underwater robot 1 is controlled to follow the wiring track of the submarine cable, and the multi-beam image mapping system of the underwater robot 1 is synchronously used to obtain the image along the submarine cable to determine the status information of the submarine cable, thereby ensuring the inspection flexibility of the submarine cable and the accuracy of the inspection results.

[0027] Step S5, after the submarine cable inspection is completed, the underwater robot 1 is remotely controlled to float to the water surface, and the umbilical cable 4 is tightened by the umbilical cable winch 3 to drag the underwater robot 1 to the recovery frame, and then the gantry crane 5 is remotely controlled to lift the recovery frame loaded with the underwater robot 1 to be flush with the deck surface to complete the recovery of the underwater robot 1, and then the unmanned boat 2 is remotely controlled to return to the berth for berthing.

[0028] In this embodiment, the unmanned boat 2 is a catamaran and is equipped with at least two sets of pump-jet propulsion units to ensure that it can be dynamically anchored in a small range on the water surface. The unmanned boat 2 has better drivability, flexibility and operability at sea.

[0029] The power system of the unmanned vessel 2 provides driving energy for the underwater robot 1, the umbilical cable winch 3 and the gantry crane 5 to ensure the energy demand for the long-term submarine cable inspection.

[0030] Different wireless communication commands are issued through the shore-based control console to ensure remote real-time control of various inspection operations of the entire unmanned system, and then the underwater robot 1 is remotely operated in real time through communication interconnection with the underwater robot 1 to complete the inspection of the submarine cable. Therefore, there is no need to configure an operator on the unmanned ship 2 to realize unmanned inspection, which can avoid the adverse effects of severe sea conditions on the personnel on board, that is, to ensure the personal safety of the operator, and can also ensure the flexibility of the submarine cable inspection and the accuracy of the inspection results.

[0031] In step S1 of another preferred embodiment, the unmanned ship 2 is provided with a generator for powering, and the shore-based control console issues a wireless communication command to remotely control the start-up of the generator of the unmanned ship 2 to power the underwater robot 1, the umbilical cable winch 3 and the gantry crane 5, and then remotely controls the underwater robot 1 to perform an initialization check through the wired communication link between the umbilical cable 4 and the underwater robot 1.

[0032] In step S2 of another preferred embodiment, the unmanned boat 2 is equipped with a receiving array of an ultra-short baseline positioning system, and the underwater robot 1 is equipped with an underwater beacon that cooperates with the receiving array. The underwater beacon sends out a sound wave signal, and the receiving array receives the sound wave signal. The surface positioning and underwater positioning of the underwater robot 1 are ensured by monitoring and calculating the sound wave signal.

[0033] More specifically, the real-time underwater depth of the underwater robot 1 is measured by the ultra-short baseline positioning system to ensure that the underwater robot 1 can navigate at a constant altitude within 10 meters underwater.

[0034] In step S4 of another preferred embodiment, the underwater robot 1 is equipped with multiple electric thrusters to stably control the multi-degree-of-freedom posture of the underwater robot 1 underwater, so as to ensure that the unmanned ship 2 always maintains a virtual anchor at a certain distance on the wiring track of the submarine cable, while ensuring the navigation stability of the unmanned ship 2 and further improving the wind and wave resistance and maneuverability.

[0035] Further preferably, when the multiple line patrol sensors of the underwater robot 1 are deployed, they form a straight detection formation, which is more convenient for tracking the wiring trajectory of the submarine cable, so as to realize real-time mapping of the seabed terrain, while assisting the underwater positioning of the underwater robot 1 and monitoring the wiring trajectory of the submarine cable.

[0036] Further preferably, during the submarine cable inspection process, the submarine cable inspection data is transmitted in real time to the storage system of the shore-based control console via wireless communication transmission for storage.

[0037] In step S5 of another preferred embodiment, the underwater robot 1 is equipped with a positioning and navigation system for its own real-time positioning and navigation. The specific positioning and navigation system includes a Doppler odometer and an inertial navigation component to determine the real-time position and motion trajectory of the underwater robot 1, and then control the positional relationship between the underwater robot 1 and the unmanned boat 2, thereby facilitating the recovery of the underwater robot 1.

[0038] In addition, when the underwater robot 1 needs to be recovered and towed to the recovery frame, and before tightening the umbilical cable 4, the underwater robot 1 is remotely operated to approach the stern of the unmanned ship 2 with the positioning assistance of the positioning navigation system, and maintain the same heading with the unmanned ship 2, so that the underwater robot 1 can pass through the guide frame of the gantry crane 5 and then be dragged into the recovery frame. After confirming that the underwater robot 1 is in place through images, the gantry crane 5 is remotely operated.

[0039] Although the present invention has been specifically shown and described in conjunction with the preferred embodiments, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made to the present invention in form and details without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims, all of which are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A submarine cable inspection method, characterized in that: The steps include: S1, a wireless communication command is issued from the shore-based control console to remotely control the unmanned boat carrying the underwater robot from the berth, and the unmanned boat is equipped with an umbilical cable winch and a gantry crane to the submarine cable inspection area; the umbilical cable on the umbilical cable winch and the underwater robot form a wired communication connection; S2, remotely control the gantry crane to start, release the underwater robot loaded in the recovery frame of the gantry crane from the deck surface to the underwater, and achieve real-time positioning of the underwater robot through the cooperation of the ultra-short baseline positioning system; S3, remotely control the umbilical cable winch to start, adaptively release the umbilical cable, and adjust the constant tension of the umbilical cable to a reasonable range, and then remotely control the underwater robot to dive; S4, after the underwater robot dives to a certain depth, the line patrol sensor of the underwater robot is remotely controlled to start, and according to the feedback data of the line patrol sensor, the underwater robot is controlled to follow the wiring track of the submarine cable, and the multi-beam image mapping system of the underwater robot is synchronously used to obtain the image along the submarine cable to determine the status information of the submarine cable; S5, after the submarine cable inspection is completed, the underwater robot is remotely controlled to float to the surface, and the umbilical cable is tightened by the umbilical cable winch to drag the underwater robot to the recovery frame. The gantry crane is then remotely controlled to lift the recovery frame loaded with the underwater robot to the same level as the deck surface to complete the recovery of the underwater robot. The unmanned boat is then remotely controlled to return to the berth for berthing.

2. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S1, the generator of the unmanned ship is remotely controlled to start to power the underwater robot, umbilical cable winch and gantry crane. Then, the underwater robot is remotely controlled to perform an initialization check through the wired communication link between the umbilical cable and the underwater robot.

3. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S2, the unmanned boat is equipped with a receiving array of the ultra-short baseline positioning system, and the underwater robot is equipped with an underwater beacon that cooperates with the receiving array to ensure the surface positioning and underwater positioning of the underwater robot.

4. The submarine cable inspection method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: The ultra-short baseline positioning system is used to measure the real-time underwater depth of the underwater robot to ensure that the underwater robot can navigate at a constant altitude within 10 meters underwater.

5. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S4, the underwater robot is equipped with multiple electric thrusters to stably control the underwater robot's multi-degree-of-freedom posture underwater to ensure that the unmanned ship always maintains a virtual anchor at a certain distance on the wiring track of the submarine cable.

6. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1 or 5, characterized in that: In S4, when multiple line patrol sensors are deployed, they form a straight detection formation.

7. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 5, characterized in that: In S4, the submarine cable inspection data is transmitted in real time to the storage system of the shore-based control console through wireless communication.

8. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, characterized in that: In S5, the underwater robot is equipped with a positioning and navigation system for its own real-time positioning and navigation. The positioning and navigation system includes a Doppler odometer and an inertial navigation component. Before tightening the umbilical cable, the underwater robot is remotely operated to approach the stern of the unmanned ship with the positioning assistance of the positioning and navigation system, and maintain the same heading with the unmanned ship.

9. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 5 or 8, characterized in that: In S5, the underwater robot is dragged into the recovery frame through the guide frame of the gantry crane, and then the gantry crane is remotely operated after confirming that the underwater robot is in place through images.

10. The submarine cable inspection method according to claim 1, 2, 3, 5 or 8, characterized in that: The unmanned ship is a catamaran equipped with at least two sets of pump-jet propulsion to ensure that it can be anchored in a small area on the water surface; the power system of the unmanned ship provides driving energy for underwater robots, umbilical cable winches and gantry cranes to ensure the energy requirements for long-distance submarine cable inspections.

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