A vertical suspended vector hydrophone array and submerged buoy system

Abstract

The present invention discloses a vertically suspended vector hydrophone array, which is composed of a plurality of array units. The structure of each array unit is as follows: a sealed cavity including a plugging core is provided at both ends of a sound-transmitting outer sheath, a vibration-damping skeleton and a watertight chamber are suspended in the sound-transmitting outer sheath, the vector hydrophone is suspended in the vibration-damping skeleton through a vibration-damping spring, an optical path splitter / combiner is sealed in the watertight chamber, the optical path splitter / combiner is connected to the vector hydrophone and transmits signals through a transmission cable, and the sound-transmitting outer sheath is filled with sound-transmitting inert oil. A vibration-damping skeleton is provided in the sound-transmitting outer sheath of the array unit of the present invention, and the vector hydrophone is suspended in the vibration-damping skeleton through a vibration-damping spring. Combined with the liquid filler inside the array, it serves to isolate external vibrations and prevent external vibrations from directly acting on the vector hydrophone and generating interference signals.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vector hydrophone array, in particular to a vertically suspended vector hydrophone array and a submerged buoy system. Background Art

[0002] The submerged buoy system is an important technical equipment for ocean monitoring. It has the characteristics of long-term, continuous and automatic monitoring of ocean conditions in harsh environments without human intervention. It is an important development direction and means of offshore monitoring. The submerged buoy is moored below the sea surface and can be recovered through a release device. It has the advantages of good concealment and is not easy to be destroyed, making it increasingly valued by maritime countries around the world.

[0003] Patent 2014104290342 discloses a fiber optic hydrophone probe packaging structure and a fiber optic hydrophone array. The connection package of multiple probes in an array adopts armored optical cable to protect the optical fiber between the probes and has good watertightness and mechanical properties. The two ends of the acoustic sensor are connected to the armored optical cable through a pressure plate joint. The outer sleeve of the pressure plate joint is sealed with a transition connection sleeve. There are several fixing holes on the connection sleeve for fixing Kevlar ropes to improve the tensile strength of the array detection cable. The structure has high reliability, good watertightness, strong deep water pressure resistance, and is easy to realize engineering and mass assembly.

[0004] Patent 2016109184033 discloses a solid-state towed sonar linear array and its assembly method. The array is filled with solid colloid, and the probe and other devices are sealed with sound-transmitting materials to prevent the colloid from entering the probe and affecting its acceleration sensitivity. Compared with liquid filling, it has the following advantages: low flow noise, high array reliability, and no pollution to the marine environment once the array is damaged.

[0005] However, the above patent still has some shortcomings: (1) Multiple hydrophones are arranged in the PU sheath of each array unit, which requires large-scale pipe entry equipment and is inconvenient to fill with oil and remove bubbles; (2) The arrays are directly connected by Kevlar ropes, and adjacent arrays will shake relative to each other under the fluctuation of sea water. The array posture is difficult to control, thus affecting the monitoring effect; (3) External vibration directly acts on the hydrophone, which will generate interference signals and affect the sensitivity of the hydrophone. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present application aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one of the purposes of the present invention is to provide a vertically suspended vector hydrophone array and a submerged buoy system, which has the advantages of convenient array formation, high hydrostatic pressure resistance and strong anti-interference performance.

[0007] In order to solve the above technical problems, this application adopts the following technical solutions:

[0008] A vertically suspended vector hydrophone array is composed of a plurality of array units. The structure of each array unit is as follows: a plugging core is provided at both ends of a sound-transmitting outer sheath to form a sealed cavity. A vibration-damping frame and a watertight chamber are provided in the sound-transmitting outer sheath. The vector hydrophone is suspended in the vibration-damping frame through a vibration-damping spring. An optical path splitter / combiner is sealed in the watertight chamber. The optical path splitter / combiner is connected to the vector hydrophone and transmits signals through a transmission cable. The sound-transmitting outer sheath is filled with sound-transmitting inert oil.

[0009] Furthermore, a number of array units are connected into an array through composite load-bearing ropes, and a lightweight skeleton is used to support any adjacent array units, so that the overall density of the array after formation is close to that of seawater.

[0010] Furthermore, a plurality of the composite load-bearing ropes are evenly distributed outside the sound-permeable outer sheath, and the lightweight skeleton is fixedly connected to the composite load-bearing ropes.

[0011] Furthermore, the outer layer of the composite load-bearing rope is an ultra-high molecular polyethylene rope, and the inner layer is a high-strength Kevlar rope.

[0012] Furthermore, the transmission cable passes through the lightweight frame.

[0013] Furthermore, the sound-transmissive outer sheath is made of flexible polyether polyurethane material.

[0014] A submerged buoy system comprises an anchoring system, an electronic cabin, a buoy and the above-mentioned vector hydrophone array, wherein the anchoring system is arranged at the bottom end of the vector hydrophone array, the vector hydrophone array is connected to the electronic cabin via the transmission cable, and the electronic cabin is connected to the buoy via a load-bearing rope.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the advantages of:

[0016] 1. Strong anti-interference ability: A vibration-damping frame is provided inside the sound-transparent outer sheath of the array unit. The vector hydrophone is suspended in the vibration-damping frame through a vibration-damping spring. Combined with the liquid filler inside the array (as damping), it can isolate external vibrations and prevent external vibrations from directly acting on the vector hydrophone and generating interference signals.

[0017] 2. High hydrostatic pressure resistance: Liquid is filled inside a single array unit to achieve equal pressure inside and outside. The optical path splitter / combiner is sealed and protected by a dedicated watertight cabin. In theory, the array can be applied in deep water environments as long as the pressure resistance limit of the vector hydrophone is met.

[0018] 3. Convenient array formation: The array unit adopts a single independent seal. Compared with the traditional form of the whole array covered with PU sheath, it does not require large-scale pipe entry equipment, and the oil filling and bubble removal are relatively simple; the structure of a single array unit is the same and can be mass-produced at the same time; the array units are connected by transmission cables with sealing heads at both ends, which is easy to operate and the spacing between array units can be adjusted at will;

[0019] 4. Lightweight: Compared with traditional arrays, only a single array unit position is filled with oil, and the lightweight frame between the array units is directly exposed to the seawater, reducing the weight of the array; the lightweight frame is made of low-density solid buoyancy material and installed between adjacent array units, which can achieve zero buoyancy of the array as a whole, facilitate transportation and deployment, and improve the stability of the array during application.

[0020] In summary, the vertical suspended vector hydrophone array of the present invention can install vector hydrophones through reasonable design, connect the vector hydrophones in a certain multiplexing manner to form a linear array, the array unit spacing can be adjusted, and the array has the characteristics of convenient array formation, reliable sealing, and resistance to high hydrostatic pressure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the submerged buoy system;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a single array unit;

[0023] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of array composition.

[0024] Possesses implementation methods

[0025] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0026] See also Figure 1 A submerged buoy system includes an anchor system 1, an electronic cabin 2, a buoy 3, and a vector hydrophone array 4. The bottom of the vector hydrophone array 4 is connected to the anchor system 1, the top of the vector hydrophone array 4 is electrically connected to the electronic cabin 2 through a transmission cable 5, and the electronic cabin 2 is connected to the buoy 3 through a load-bearing rope 6. As for the anchor system 1, the electronic cabin 2, and the control circuit composed of the two, they are all existing structures and will not be repeated here. The focus of the improvement of this application is on the vector hydrophone array 4.

[0027] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3The vector hydrophone array 4 of the submersible buoy system of this embodiment is composed of a plurality of array units, and the structure of each array unit is as follows: a sealing cavity is formed by a plug 402 at both ends of a sound-transmitting outer sheath 401, a vibration-damping skeleton 403 and a watertight cabin 404 are suspended in the sound-transmitting outer sheath 401, a vector hydrophone 405 is suspended in the vibration-damping skeleton 403 through a vibration-damping spring 406, an optical path splitter / combiner 407 is sealed in the watertight cabin 404, the optical path splitter / combiner 407 is connected to the vector hydrophone 405 and transmits signals through a transmission cable 5, and the sound-transmitting outer sheath 401 is filled with sound-transmitting inert oil such as silicone oil (not shown in the figure), which isolates the vector hydrophone 405 from the external seawater and meets the requirements of sound transmission.

[0028] In this embodiment, a vibration reduction mechanism similar to that described in Patent 2013203901706 is provided in the acoustically transparent outer sheath 401 of the array unit. The vector hydrophone 405 is suspended in the vibration reduction frame 403 through a vibration reduction spring 406. Combined with the acoustically transparent inert oil (as damping) inside the array, it serves to isolate external vibrations and prevent external vibrations from directly acting on the vector hydrophone and generating interference signals. Among them, the optical fiber or cable inside the transmission cable 5 is a multi-core structure. Generally, 8 array elements or multiples of 8 array elements (such as 32, 64) are optically transmitted through two optical fibers, one above and one below. The specific structure of the optical path splitter / combiner 407 and the vector hydrophone 405 and the circuit structure of the components are all existing well-known technologies and will not be repeated here.

[0029] In this embodiment, a single array unit is filled with liquid to achieve equal pressure inside and outside; the optical path splitter / combiner 407 and the fusion point are sealed and protected by a dedicated watertight cabin 404. The structural strength of the watertight cabin 404 is designed according to the maximum application water depth of the array. In theory, it only needs to meet the pressure resistance limit of the vector hydrophone, and the array can be applied in a large depth water environment.

[0030] It can be understood that the vector hydrophone 405 is suspended in the vibration-damping skeleton 403 by a pair of vibration-damping springs 406 symmetrically arranged at the top and a pair of vibration-damping springs 406 symmetrically arranged at the bottom, and the vector hydrophone 405 is fixed in the vibration-damping skeleton 403 by multiple pairs of symmetrically arranged vibration-damping springs 406, thereby achieving comprehensive isolation from external vibrations.

[0031] Preferably, to facilitate the connection of the vibration-damping spring 406, hooks for hanging the two ends of the vibration-damping spring 406 are provided on the vector hydrophone 405 and the vibration-damping skeleton 403. The two ends of the vibration-damping spring 406 are respectively hung on the hooks on the vector hydrophone 405 and the vibration-damping skeleton 403 and are in a tensioned state, so that the vibration-damping spring 406 is easy to install.

[0032] See also Figure 3In some embodiments, a plurality of array units are connected into an array by a composite load-bearing rope 409, and any adjacent array units are supported by a lightweight skeleton 408, which is made of low-density (generally less than 0.6 g / cm 3 ) The solid buoyancy material is prepared to reduce the overall sealing effect of the array, so that the overall density of the array after formation is close to that of seawater.

[0033] In this embodiment, a lightweight frame 408 is provided between adjacent array units to control the overall density ratio of the array to be consistent with the density of seawater. Compared with the traditional array, this embodiment can achieve zero buoyancy of the array as a whole, and can better control the array posture after deployment to avoid misalignment between array elements. It also realizes lightweight array and facilitates array transportation and deployment.

[0034] Specifically, the sound-transparent outer sheath 401 is made of flexible polyether polyurethane material, which is resistant to seawater corrosion and long-term hydrolysis. The interior is filled with sound-transparent inert oil. Under the premise of ensuring that there are no bubbles inside the array unit, it can achieve equal pressure inside and outside, and theoretically can meet the application environment of the entire sea area and sea depth.

[0035] It can be understood that in actual applications, several array units are connected into an array through composite load-bearing ropes 409, and multiple composite load-bearing ropes 409 are arranged circumferentially along the sound-transparent outer sheath 401. The array units are connected to the composite load-bearing ropes 409 through fastening structures 4010 such as connecting flanges; the lightweight skeleton 408 is arranged in a space surrounded by multiple composite load-bearing ropes 409 and is fixedly connected to each composite load-bearing rope 409, and the transmission cable 5 connecting adjacent array units passes through the lightweight skeleton 408 and is connected through the sealed connecting joints 4011 at both ends. The sealed connecting joints 4011 can adopt a plug-in structure, which is convenient for disassembly, and is convenient for array formation and testing and maintenance.

[0036] Among them, the composite load-bearing rope 409 generally adopts 4 or 6 strands. The outer layer is an ultra-high molecular polyethylene rope resistant to seawater corrosion, and the inner layer is a high-strength Kevlar rope. It has the properties of high strength and not easy to hydrolyze, and can meet the application environment of long-term seawater immersion; the array unit spacing and the number of array units can be adjusted according to the overall technical index requirements.

[0037] The working principle of the buoy system of this embodiment is as follows: the electric pulse light signal emitted by the optoelectronic demodulation system in the electronic cabin 2 enters the vector hydrophone array 4 through the transmission cable 5, enters the watertight cabin inside the array through the downlink main optical path, enters each vector hydrophone 405 unit after passing through the optical path splitter / combiner 407, and the external hydroacoustic signal acts on the vector hydrophone 405 unit to modulate the pulse light signal (causing changes in the light phase and intensity), and the acoustically modulated light signal returns to the watertight cabin inside the array, is aggregated into the uplink main optical path through the optical path splitter / combiner 407, and is transmitted to the optoelectronic demodulation system through the transmission cable 5. The multi-channel digital sound signal obtained after the modulation processing is finally subjected to comprehensive processing, and the processing result is recorded on the recording device.

[0038] See also Figure 2 and Figure 3 , the array formation process of the present invention is:

[0039] (1) Connect two plugs 402 through a tensile member, and the length should be sufficient to accommodate the installation space of the vector hydrophone 405 and the watertight compartment;

[0040] (2) Connect the vector hydrophone 405 to the vibration reduction frame 403, and fix the tensile member between the vibration reduction frame 403 and the plugging core 402;

[0041] (3) The transmission cable 5 and the optical cable of the vector hydrophone 405 are introduced into the watertight compartment and connected to the optical path splitter / combiner 407, and the watertight compartment is sealed;

[0042] (4) After the sound-transparent outer sheath 401 is put on, the length of a single array unit is generally no more than 0.6 m and can be directly inserted into the pipe;

[0043] (5) Install the retaining ring 4013 and perform retaining seal;

[0044] (6) Fill the sound-transmitting inert oil into the sound-transmitting outer sheath 401 from the oil filling port of the plug core 402, fill oil at one end and evacuate the other end, and seal after it is full;

[0045] (7) The overall length of the array is calculated according to the number of array units and the spacing between array units, and a single composite load-bearing rope 409 is moved back and forth in a "well" shape to form a 4-strand structure;

[0046] (8) The individual array units and the lightweight skeleton 408 are fixedly connected with the composite load-bearing rope 409 according to the requirements and spacing;

[0047] (9) The transmission cables 5 between adjacent array units are connected and sealed;

[0048] (10) The test is normal and the array production is completed.

[0049] The above embodiments are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not intended to limit the implementation methods. For those skilled in the art, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is not necessary and impossible to list all the embodiments here. The obvious changes or modifications derived therefrom are still within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A vertical suspended vector hydrophone array, composed of a plurality of array units, characterized in that: The structure of each array unit is as follows: a plugging core is provided at both ends of the sound-transmitting outer sheath to form a sealed cavity, a vibration-damping frame and a watertight chamber are provided in the sound-transmitting outer sheath, a vector hydrophone is suspended in the vibration-damping frame through a vibration-damping spring, an optical path splitter / combiner is sealed in the watertight chamber, the optical path splitter / combiner is connected to the vector hydrophone and transmits signals through a transmission cable, and the sound-transmitting outer sheath is filled with sound-transmitting inert oil; Several array units are connected into an array through composite load-bearing ropes, and lightweight frames are used to support any adjacent array units, so that the overall density of the array after formation is close to that of seawater.

2. The vertically suspended vector hydrophone array according to claim 1, characterized in that: A plurality of the composite load-bearing ropes are evenly distributed outside the sound-permeable outer sheath, and the lightweight skeleton is fixedly connected to the composite load-bearing ropes.

3. The vertically suspended vector hydrophone array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer layer of the composite load-bearing rope is an ultra-high molecular polyethylene rope, and the inner layer is a high-strength Kevlar rope.

4. The vertically suspended vector hydrophone array according to claim 2, characterized in that: The transmission cable passes through the lightweight frame.

5. The vertically suspended vector hydrophone array according to claim 1, characterized in that: The material of the sound-permeable outer sheath is flexible polyether polyurethane.

6. The vertically suspended vector hydrophone array according to claim 1, characterized in that: Adjacent array units are connected via transmission cables with sealed connectors at both ends.

7. A submerged buoy system, characterized in that: It comprises an anchoring system, a vector hydrophone array as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 6, an electronic cabin and a buoy which are connected in sequence.

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