Underwater saturated diving shuttle cabin system and use method thereof
By designing an underwater saturation diving shuttle system, and utilizing the coordination of wheelset mechanism and buoy, the diving bell can be moved and positioned in deep-water tunnels, solving the problem that traditional diving bells cannot enter tunnels, and supporting underwater inspection and maintenance operations.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202511896529.0
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-12-16
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-20
AI Technical Summary
Traditional saturation diving bells cannot be directly lowered into deep-water tunnels, thus failing to meet the needs of underwater inspection and maintenance operations in deep-water tunnels.
Design an underwater saturation diving shuttle system, including a diving bell, wheelset mechanism, umbilical cable, buoy, pulley and retrieval wire rope. The diving bell is moved along the rail by the wheelset mechanism, and the buoyancy of the buoy keeps the umbilical cable suspended, so as to realize the movement and positioning of the diving bell in the deep water tunnel.
It enables the diving bell to move and be positioned flexibly in deep-water tunnels, ensuring the umbilical cable remains suspended and avoiding wear, and supporting saturation divers to carry out underwater tunnel inspection or maintenance work.
Smart Images
Figure CN121697818A_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of saturation diving, in particular, the present application relates to an underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system and a method for using the same. BACKGROUND
[0002] As an important underwater operation mode in modern marine engineering, saturation diving has been widely used in the detection and repair of submarine pipelines, the installation of underwater facilities, marine engineering and salvage services. For underwater engineering with a water depth of more than 120 meters, saturation diving technology is generally used for operation. The traditional saturation diving mode is that the saturation diver enters the saturation diving bell after being pressurized in the pressurized cabin on the deck of the mother ship or offshore platform, the diving bell is hoisted into the water by the hoisting system, and is positioned at the target depth operation position, and then the saturation diver exits the bell to perform the operation task.
[0003] However, for the defect detection and repair operation of deep water tunnels, due to the characteristics of deep water tunnels, the traditional saturation diving bell cannot be directly hoisted into the tunnel for positioning. Therefore, a new type of underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system needs to be designed to realize the movement and positioning of the saturation diving bell in the deep water tunnel. SUMMARY
[0004] The technical problem to be solved by the present application is to provide an underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system which can realize the movement of the saturation diving bell in the deep water tunnel.
[0005] In order to solve the above technical problem, the technical scheme adopted by the present application is: an underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system, comprising a diving bell, a wheel pair mechanism, an umbilical cable, a floating ball, a pulley, a recovery steel wire rope and a steel rail, the steel rail is pre-laid at the bottom of the deep water tunnel, the wheel pair mechanism is arranged below the diving bell, the wheel pair mechanism can roll along the steel rail to drive the diving bell to move forward and backward in the deep water tunnel, the pulley is suspended below the floating ball, one end of the umbilical cable is connected with a gas supply system on the water surface, the other end of the umbilical cable passes through the pulley connected with the floating ball in sequence and is connected to the diving bell; the two ends of the recovery steel wire rope are connected with the pulley and the diving bell respectively, the recovery steel wire rope can be tightened or loosened to realize the recovery and release of the floating ball and the pulley; the diving bell is moved along the steel rail by the wheel pair mechanism, and the umbilical cable is kept in a suspended state by the floating ball with the help of buoyancy, so as to complete the movement and positioning of the diving bell in the deep water tunnel, and the saturation diver can carry out underwater tunnel detection or repair operation.
[0006] An underwater saturation diving shuttle system includes a diving bell, a wheelset mechanism, an umbilical cable, a buoy, pulleys, and a retrieval cable. The wheelset mechanism is located below the diving bell, with tracked wheels on both sides of its bottom. The rotation of the tracked wheels drives the diving bell to move back and forth within a deep-water tunnel. The pulleys are suspended below the buoys. One end of the umbilical cable is connected to an air distribution and supply system on the water surface, and the other end passes through the pulleys connected to the buoys before connecting to the diving bell. The two ends of the retrieval cable are connected to the pulleys and the diving bell, respectively. The retrieval cable can be tightened or loosened to retrieve and release the buoys and pulleys. The tracks on the wheelset mechanism drive the diving bell to move, and the buoys, with their buoyancy, keep the umbilical cable suspended, completing the movement and positioning of the diving bell within the deep-water tunnel, allowing saturation divers to conduct underwater tunnel inspection or maintenance work.
[0007] Preferably, the buoy is connected to the pulley and has a preset buoyancy. When the umbilical cable in the tunnel is too long and there is a risk of it touching the bottom, the buoy and pulley are released by loosening the retrieval wire rope. The buoy can use its own buoyancy to lift the umbilical cable upward, so that the entire umbilical cable is in a suspended state, avoiding the umbilical cable from contacting the bottom of the water and causing scratches and wear.
[0008] Preferably, the rail adopts a segmented structure, and each segment of the rail can be laid at the bottom of the deep water tunnel. The total length of the laid rail can be adjusted according to the length requirements of the deep water tunnel to adapt to different deep water tunnel operation scenarios.
[0009] Preferably, the wheelset mechanism includes drive wheels, wheel-side motors, and a chassis frame. Four drive wheels are arranged at the bottom of the chassis frame, and each drive wheel is equipped with a wheel-side motor. Each drive wheel is independently controlled and driven. The wheelset mechanism is connected to the umbilical cable for power supply and transmission of control information.
[0010] Preferably, the wheelset mechanism includes drive wheels, wheel-side motors, tracks, and chassis frames. Four drive wheels are arranged at the bottom of the chassis frames. Each drive wheel is equipped with a wheel-side motor. Two drive wheels on the same side form a group. Tracks are fitted around the drive wheels. Each drive wheel is independently controlled and driven. The wheelset mechanism is connected to the umbilical cable for power supply and control information transmission.
[0011] Preferably, the buoy is pre-buoyed and floats underwater, with the buoy's floating height being higher than the top of the diving bell.
[0012] A method for using an underwater saturation diving shuttle system includes the following steps: (1) Lay steel rails at the bottom of the deep-water tunnel in advance; (2) The shuttle cabin was lowered to the vicinity of the tunnel entrance; (3) Start the wheelset mechanism to make the diving bell drive into the tunnel along the rails; (4) The umbilical cable is released in real time during the movement of the diving bell along the steel rail to the deep part of the tunnel, so as to match the movement rhythm of the diving bell, ensure that the umbilical cable can always provide stable air supply for the saturation diver in the diving bell, and always keep floating without touching the bottom under the cooperation of the floating ball and the pulley, and adjust the floating state of the umbilical cable through the release of the floating ball and the pulley; (5) The wheel pair mechanism carries the diving bell to continue to move forward until reaching the designed operation position; (6) After reaching the operation position, the saturation diver gets out of the diving bell to perform a task; (7) During the process that the recovery steel wire is recovered and the wheel pair mechanism drives the diving bell to move away from the tunnel along the steel rail after the saturation diver completes the operation task, the floating ball and the pulley can be recovered through real-time tightening, and the recovery operation of the floating ball and the pulley is completed when it is confirmed that there is no risk of the umbilical cable touching the bottom; (8) After the wheel pair mechanism carries the diving bell to move out of the deep water tunnel, the saturation diving hoisting and launching system recovers the diving bell and the steel rail to the deck of the mother ship or the offshore platform in sequence.
[0013] The use method of the tracked underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system comprises the following steps: (1) The shuttle cabin is launched to the vicinity of the tunnel portal; (2) The tracked wheels of the wheel pair mechanism are started, so that the diving bell moves into the tunnel along a predetermined route; (3) The umbilical cable is released in real time during the movement of the diving bell along the steel rail to the deep part of the tunnel, so as to match the movement rhythm of the diving bell, ensure that the umbilical cable can always provide stable air supply for the saturation diver in the diving bell, and always keep floating without touching the bottom under the cooperation of the floating ball and the pulley, and adjust the floating state of the umbilical cable through the release of the floating ball and the pulley; (4) The wheel pair mechanism carries the diving bell to continue to move forward until reaching the designed operation position; (5) After reaching the operation position, the saturation diver gets out of the diving bell to perform a task; (6) During the process that the recovery steel wire is recovered and the wheel pair mechanism drives the diving bell to move away from the tunnel along the original route after the saturation diver completes the operation task, the floating ball and the pulley can be recovered through real-time tightening, and the recovery operation of the floating ball and the pulley is completed when it is confirmed that there is no risk of the umbilical cable touching the bottom; (7) After the wheel pair mechanism carries the diving bell to move out of the deep water tunnel, the saturation diving hoisting and launching system recovers the diving bell to the deck of the mother ship or the offshore platform in sequence.
[0014] The technical scheme of the present application can achieve the following beneficial effects: The underwater saturation diving shuttle system of this invention improves upon the traditional saturation diving bell based on the characteristics of deep-water tunnels, and creatively designs an underwater saturation diving shuttle system. The diving bell is fixed to a wheelset mechanism, which can carry the diving bell back and forth on rails. The umbilical cable is connected to the air distribution and supply system on the water surface via pulleys under the buoy. The buoyancy of the buoy ensures that the entire umbilical cable remains suspended and is not scraped by the seabed. Attached Figure Description
[0015] The following is a brief explanation of the contents depicted in the accompanying drawings and the markings therein: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the shuttle cabin system; The markings in the above diagrams are: 1. Diving bell; 2. Wheelset mechanism; 3. Umbilical cable; 4. Buoy; 5. Pulley; 6. Retrieval wire rope; 7. Rail. Detailed Implementation
[0016] The following description, with reference to the accompanying drawings, further details the specific implementation of the present invention, including the shape and structure of each component, the relative positions and connections between the parts, the functions and working principles of each part. Example 1
[0017] like Figure 1 As shown, this underwater saturation diving shuttle system includes a diving bell 1, a wheelset mechanism 2, an umbilical cable 3, a buoy 4, a pulley 5, a retrieval wire rope 6, and a rail 7. The rail 7 is pre-laid at the bottom of the deep-water tunnel. The wheelset mechanism 2 is located below the diving bell 1, and the diving bell 1 is fixed to the wheelset mechanism 2. The wheelset mechanism 2 can roll along the rail 7, driving the diving bell 1 to move back and forth inside the deep-water tunnel. The pulley 5 is suspended below the buoy 4. One end of the umbilical cable 3 is connected to the air distribution and supply system on the water surface. The other end passes through the pulley 5 connected to the buoy 4 and then into the diving bell 1. The two ends of the retrieval wire rope 6 are connected to the pulley 5 and the diving bell 1 respectively. The retrieval wire rope 6 can be tightened or loosened to realize the retrieval and release of the buoy 4 and the pulley 5. The diving bell 1 is moved along the rail 7 by the wheelset mechanism 2. With the help of the buoy 4, the umbilical cable 3 is kept suspended by buoyancy, thus completing the movement and positioning of the diving bell 1 in the deep water tunnel, so that saturation divers can carry out underwater tunnel inspection or maintenance operations.
[0018] The pulley 5 is suspended below the buoy 4. The buoy 4 has a preset buoyancy. When the umbilical cable in the tunnel is too long and there is a risk of it touching the bottom, the retrieval wire rope 6 is released to release the buoy 4 and the pulley 5. The buoy 4 can use its own buoyancy to lift the umbilical cable 3 upward, so that the entire umbilical cable 3 is in a suspended state, avoiding the umbilical cable 3 from contacting the bottom of the water and causing scratches and wear.
[0019] The rail 7 adopts a segmented structure. Each section of rail 7 can be laid at the bottom of the deep water tunnel, and the total length of the laid rail 7 can be adjusted according to the length requirements of the deep water tunnel to adapt to different deep water tunnel operation scenarios.
[0020] The wheelset mechanism 2 includes a drive wheel, a wheel-side motor, and a chassis frame. Four drive wheels are set at the bottom of the chassis frame. Each drive wheel is equipped with a wheel-side motor. Each drive wheel is independently controlled and driven. The wheelset mechanism is connected to the umbilical cable for power supply and transmission of control information.
[0021] Buoy 4 is set to float underwater with a preset buoyancy, and its floating height is higher than the top of the diving bell. The preset buoyancy is determined based on the water density underwater.
[0022] The method of using this underwater saturation diving shuttle system includes the following steps: (1) Lay steel rails 7 at the bottom of the deep water tunnel in advance; (2) The shuttle cabin was lowered to the vicinity of the tunnel entrance; (3) Start the wheelset mechanism 2 to make the diving bell drive into the tunnel along the rail; (4) As the diving bell 1 moves along the rail 7 into the depth of the tunnel, the umbilical cable 3 is released in real time to match the rhythm of the diving bell 1, ensuring that the umbilical cable 3 can always provide a stable air supply to the saturated divers inside the diving bell 1, and with the cooperation of the float 4 and the pulley 5, it always remains suspended and does not touch the bottom, and the suspension state of the umbilical cable 3 is adjusted by releasing the float 4 and the pulley 5. (5) The wheelset mechanism 2 carries the diving bell 1 forward until it reaches the designed working position; (6) Upon arrival at the work location, the saturation diver exits the bell to perform the task; (7) During the process of the saturated diver completing the task and the wheelset mechanism 2 driving the diving bell 1 away from the tunnel along the rail 7, the buoy 4 and pulley 5 can be retrieved by real-time tightening. And when it is confirmed that the umbilical cable 3 has no risk of touching the bottom, the buoy 4 and pulley 5 retrieval operation is completed. (8) After the wheelset mechanism 2 carries the diving bell 1 out of the deep-water tunnel entrance, the saturated diving launch system sequentially retrieves the diving bell 1 and the rail 7 to the mother ship or offshore platform deck.
[0023] The umbilical cable 3 passes through the pulley device connected to the float 4. Since the float 4 has a certain buoyancy (the buoyancy is preset according to the density of the underwater water), the umbilical cable 3 is lifted up a certain distance, so that the entire umbilical cable 3 is in a suspended state and does not contact the bottom of the water, thus avoiding scratches and wear on the surface of the umbilical cable 3 during the deployment and retrieval process.
[0024] The pulley 5 and the diving bell 1 are connected by the recovery wire rope 6, when the saturation diver finishes the task and returns to the diving bell 1, the shuttle cabin drives away from the tunnel along the steel rail, and the float ball 4 and the pulley 5 are recovered by tightening the recovery wire rope 6.
[0025] The present application can realize the diving bell 1 to shuttle in the deep water environment, the cabin moves flexibly and is convenient and accurate control by the wheel pair mechanism 2, each driving wheel of the wheel pair mechanism 2 is provided with a wheel edge motor, the wheel pair mechanism 2 drives into the tunnel along the steel rail 7, moves in the inside, and is in place at the designed position, which is convenient for the saturation diver to carry out the underwater tunnel detection or maintenance work. Embodiment two
[0026] The track type underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system comprises a diving bell 1, a wheel pair mechanism 2, an umbilical cable 3, a float ball 4, a pulley 5 and a recovery wire rope 6, the wheel pair mechanism 2 is arranged below the diving bell, track wheels are arranged at the bottom of the wheel pair mechanism, the track wheels drive the diving bell 1 to realize forward and backward movement in the deep water tunnel, the pulley 5 is suspended below the float ball 4, one end of the umbilical cable 3 is connected with a gas supply system on the water surface, the other end is sequentially connected with the pulley 5 connected with the float ball 4, and then connected with the diving bell 1, and the two ends of the recovery wire rope 6 are connected with the pulley 5 and the diving bell 1 respectively, the recovery wire rope 6 can be recovered and released by being tightened or loosened, the float ball 4 and the pulley 5 are recovered and released, the diving bell is moved by the track wheels on the wheel pair mechanism 2, the umbilical cable 3 is kept in a suspended state by the float ball by means of the buoyancy, the movement and positioning of the diving bell 1 in the deep water tunnel are completed, and the saturation diver carries out the underwater tunnel detection or maintenance work.
[0027] In the embodiment, the wheel pair mechanism 2 comprises driving wheels, wheel edge motors, tracks and a chassis frame, four driving wheels are arranged at the bottom of the chassis frame, the wheel edge motors are arranged in the driving wheels, two driving wheels on the same side form a group, the tracks are sleeved outside the driving wheels, and each driving wheel is independently controlled to drive.
[0028] The use method of the track type underwater saturation diving shuttle cabin system comprises the following steps: (1) the shuttle cabin is hung near the tunnel entrance; (2) the track wheels of the wheel pair mechanism are started, and the diving bell 1 drives into the tunnel along a predetermined route; (3) the umbilical cable 3 is released in real time in the process that the diving bell 1 moves along the predetermined route to the deep part of the tunnel, so as to cooperate with the movement rhythm of the diving bell 1, ensure that the umbilical cable 3 can always provide stable gas supply for the saturation diver in the diving bell 1, and always keep suspended and not touch the bottom under the cooperation of the float ball 4 and the pulley 5, and adjust the suspended state of the umbilical cable by releasing the float ball 4 and the pulley 5; (4) the wheel pair mechanism continues to move forward with the diving bell 1, and stops at the designed work position. (5) After reaching the working position, the saturation diver gets out of the bell to perform the task; (6) During the process that the diving bell is driven by the wheel pair mechanism 2 to leave the tunnel along the original route after the saturation diver completes the task, the floating ball 4 and the pulley 5 can be recovered by real-time tightening, and the recovery operation of the floating ball 4 and the pulley 5 is completed when it is confirmed that there is no risk of the umbilical cable 3 touching the bottom; (7) After the wheel pair mechanism 2 carries the diving bell 1 out of the deep water tunnel, the saturation diving hoisting system recovers the diving bell 1 to the deck of the mother ship or the offshore platform in sequence.
[0029] The beneficial effects of the embodiment are the same as above. The wheel pair mechanism in the embodiment is driven by a track wheel, and does not need to lay steel rails. Compared with the embodiment 1, the workload of laying steel rails underwater is reduced, and the movement is flexible. The track-type shuttle cabin is suitable for the case of lighter load, and the rail-type shuttle cabin is suitable for the case of heavier load.
[0030] The above describes the present application in conjunction with the drawings, and it is obvious that the specific implementation of the present application is not limited by the above manner. Any non-essential improvement or direct application of the concept and technical solution of the present application to other occasions is within the protection scope of the present application.
Claims
1. An underwater saturation diving shuttle system, characterized in that: The system includes a diving bell, wheelset mechanism, umbilical cable, buoy, pulleys, retrieval cable, and rails. The rails are pre-laid at the bottom of the deep-water tunnel. The wheelset mechanism is located below the diving bell and can roll along the rails, driving the diving bell to move back and forth within the deep-water tunnel. The pulleys are suspended below the buoy. One end of the umbilical cable is connected to the air supply system on the water surface, and the other end passes through the pulley connected to the buoy before connecting to the diving bell. The two ends of the retrieval cable are connected to the pulleys and the diving bell, respectively. The retrieval cable can be tightened or loosened to retrieve and release the buoy and pulleys. The diving bell moves along the rails via the wheelset mechanism, and the buoy, with its buoyancy, keeps the umbilical cable suspended, completing the movement and positioning of the diving bell within the deep-water tunnel, allowing saturation divers to conduct underwater tunnel inspection or maintenance work.
2. An underwater saturation diving shuttle system, characterized in that: The system includes a diving bell, wheelset mechanism, umbilical cable, buoy, pulleys, and retrieval cable. The wheelset mechanism is located below the diving bell, with tracked wheels on both sides of its bottom. The rotation of the tracked wheels drives the diving bell to move back and forth within the deep-water tunnel. The pulleys are suspended below the buoy. One end of the umbilical cable is connected to the air supply system on the water surface, and the other end passes through the pulley connected to the buoy before connecting to the diving bell. The two ends of the retrieval cable are connected to the pulleys and the diving bell, respectively. The retrieval cable can be tightened or loosened to retrieve and release the buoy and pulleys. The tracks on the wheelset mechanism drive the diving bell to move, and the buoy, with its buoyancy, keeps the umbilical cable suspended, completing the movement and positioning of the diving bell within the deep-water tunnel, allowing saturation divers to conduct underwater tunnel inspection or maintenance work.
3. The underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The buoy is connected to the pulley and has a preset buoyancy. When the umbilical cable in the tunnel is too long and there is a risk of it touching the bottom, the buoy and pulley are released by loosening the retrieval wire rope. The buoy can use its own buoyancy to lift the umbilical cable upward, so that the entire umbilical cable is in a suspended state, avoiding the umbilical cable from contacting the bottom of the water and causing scratches and wear.
4. The underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The rails adopt a segmented structure, and each segment can be laid at the bottom of the deep-water tunnel. The total length of the laid rails can be adjusted according to the length requirements of the deep-water tunnel to adapt to different deep-water tunnel operation scenarios.
5. The underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wheelset mechanism includes drive wheels, wheel-side motors, and a chassis frame. Four drive wheels are set at the bottom of the chassis frame, and each drive wheel is equipped with a wheel-side motor. Each drive wheel is independently controlled and driven. The wheelset mechanism is connected to the umbilical cable for power supply and transmission of control information.
6. The underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 2, characterized in that: The wheelset mechanism includes drive wheels, wheel-side motors, tracks, and chassis frames. Four drive wheels are set at the bottom of the chassis frames. Each drive wheel is equipped with a wheel-side motor. Two drive wheels on the same side form a group. Tracks are fitted over the drive wheels. Each drive wheel is independently controlled and driven. The wheelset mechanism is connected to the umbilical cable for power supply and control information transmission.
7. The underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The buoy is pre-buoyed and floats underwater, with its floating height exceeding the height of the top of the diving bell.
8. The method of using the underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 1, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) Lay steel rails at the bottom of the deep-water tunnel in advance; (2) The shuttle cabin was lowered to the vicinity of the tunnel entrance; (3) Start the wheelset mechanism to make the diving bell drive into the tunnel along the rails; (4) As the diving bell moves along the rails into the depths of the tunnel, the umbilical cable is released in real time to match the rhythm of the diving bell's movement, ensuring that the umbilical cable can always provide a stable air supply to the saturated divers inside the diving bell, and with the cooperation of the float and pulley, it always remains suspended and does not touch the bottom. The umbilical cable's suspension state is adjusted by releasing the float and pulley. (5) The wheelset mechanism carries the diving bell forward until it reaches the designed working position; (6) Upon arrival at the work location, the saturation diver exits the bell to perform the task; (7) During the process of the saturation diver completing the task and the wheelset mechanism driving the diving bell away from the tunnel along the rail, the buoy and pulley can be retrieved by tightening in real time. The buoy and pulley retrieval operation is completed when it is confirmed that there is no risk of the umbilical cable touching the bottom. (8) After the wheelset mechanism carries the diving bell out of the deep-water tunnel entrance, the saturated diving launch system will sequentially retrieve the diving bell and rails to the mother ship or offshore platform deck.
9. The method of using the underwater saturation diving shuttle system according to claim 2, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: (1) The shuttle cabin was lowered to the vicinity of the tunnel entrance; (2) Start the track wheels of the wheelset mechanism to make the diving bell drive into the tunnel along the predetermined route; (3) As the diving bell moves along the predetermined route into the depth of the tunnel, the umbilical cable is released in real time to match the rhythm of the diving bell's movement, ensuring that the umbilical cable can always provide a stable air supply to the saturated divers inside the diving bell, and with the cooperation of the float and pulley, it always remains suspended and does not touch the bottom. The umbilical cable's suspension state is adjusted by releasing the float and pulley. (4) The wheelset mechanism carries the diving bell forward until it reaches the designed working position; (5) After arriving at the work location, the saturation diver exits the bell to perform the task; (6) When the saturation diver completes the task and the wheelset mechanism drives the diving bell away from the tunnel along the original route, the buoy and pulley can be retrieved by tightening in real time. The buoy and pulley retrieval operation is completed when it is confirmed that there is no risk of the umbilical cable touching the bottom. (7) After the wheelset mechanism carries the diving bell out of the deep-water tunnel entrance, the saturated diving launch system will retrieve the diving bell to the mother ship or offshore platform deck in sequence.