Automatic system for taking up and handling a connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel

Abstract

The invention relates to an automatic system for taking up and handling a connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel. The inventive system comprises a fastening carriage which moves on guides around the deck of the tugboat. Once the towrope has been launched from the vessel to be towed, the aforementioned carriage moves along the guide until the built-in sensor detects the presence of the towrope at the upper part of the gunwale. The above-mentioned fastening carriage comprises a clamp and the tow cable or rope of the tugboat is fixed therein. According to the invention, when the system detects that the towrope has been inserted in the clamp, said clamp is closed and the carriage is released, the tugboat rope remaining connected to the towrope of the vessel. Once the aforementioned operation has been performed, the fastening carriage returns to the rest position thereof. The system operates automatically without the need for any human intervention on the deck of the tugboat and said system is remote controlled from the bridge.

Description

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present patent of invention application has as an object the registration of an automatic system for taking up and handling a connecting towrope between a tugboat and a towed vessel incorporating notable innovations and advantages compared to the current methods for the same or similar purpose. [0002] More specifically, the new invention comprises an installation for its assembly on the deck of a tugboat, which allows handling the connecting towrope between the tugboat and towed vessel without the necessity of a worker having to be on said deck to perform manual operations. The new invention consists of a fastening carriage which moves on guides around the deck of the tugboat. Once the towrope has been launched from the vessel to be towed, the carriage moves until a built-in sensor detects the presence of the towrope at the level of the gunwale. The fastening carriage fixes the tow cable or rope of the tugboat in the clamp, and once it is detected ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0021] The main advantage of the invention with regard to the prior state of the art is that the presence of a crew member on the deck of the tugboat during the connecting operation is not necessary, entailing greater security for the crew. It is necessary to consider that this connecting task is done many times in poor sea and little visibility conditions, with rain, etc., conditions which can cause an accident due to the slipping, tripping or falling of the crew member. The skipper who is in the bridge must pay attention to the vessel to which it is going to connect and at the same time to the crew. With the invention, the skipper must only be concerned with the vessel since there is no crew member on deck. After the moment in which the towrope strikes against the deck, the start button must simply be pushed. The remaining operations are the same as those currently done and are now carried out from the bridge.

[0022] To complete the description that will be given below and for the purpose of aiding to better understand its features, a set of illustrative and non-limiting figures are attached to the present specification, in which the most significant details of the invention are represented.

Problems solved by technology

This way of working is falling into disuse, in detriment of that described above, because the tugboat is responsible for the condition of the cable, and in the case of accidents in vessel maneuvers caused by the breaking of a cable in poor conditions, liability of the tugboat company can be sought.

Over the years, the way of working has not changed mainly due to the difficulty entailed in the introduction of changes in a way of working that is consolidated over time and in all ports worldwide.

Any change implying the implementation of new devices in vessels and docks will be very difficult to consolidate if it is not imposed worldwide, and only the changes allowing the performance of the same tasks in an easier and simpler manner have possibilities to be successful.

However, the applicant has observed that this way of working is falling into disuse.

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