A modular small boat retracting and deploying device

Abstract

The present invention provides a modular small boat retracting and deploying device, which is composed of a top recovery mechanism, a middle auxiliary positioning mechanism, and a lower support base from top to bottom in sequence. A winch for retracting and deploying the lower support base is installed on the top recovery mechanism, and the winch is provided with a plurality of steel wires that pass through the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism and are connected to the lower support base; the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism is provided with a floating body frame, the side wall of the floating body frame is provided with a plurality of wave-passing holes, and a plurality of buffer guiding rollers are arranged along the inner wall of the floating body frame. A plurality of longitudinal through holes for the steel wires to pass through are provided on the floating body frame; at least two pairs of adaptive support bases are provided on the lower support base, and a plurality of vertical positioning support columns are provided on the side of the lower support base. The present invention has low requirements for ships, is applicable to various ships, has a small deck occupation area, does not require fixed installation, is flexible and convenient for storage, and has strong sea condition adaptability, and can retract and deploy the boat stably and safely even under strong wind and wave conditions.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to ship supporting facilities, and particularly to a modular small boat hoisting device. Background Art

[0002] The existing small boat hoisting technology mainly relies on a dedicated boat rack for the hoisting operation of small boats at sea. Usually, a dedicated lifting boat rack is set on the side of the ship, and the small boat is released and recovered by the boat rack being swung out of the ship's side. Each time the small boat is released and recovered, the crew needs to perform the hook detachment and hooking operations at sea, resulting in low operation efficiency. In the case of strong wind and wave weather, the operation becomes even more difficult, and even the hoisting operation of the small boat at sea cannot be carried out.

[0003] In order to improve the hoisting efficiency of small boats, there is also a slideway-type small boat hoisting solution, that is, a slideway is set at the stern of the ship, and the small boat directly drives onto the slideway. As long as the small boat enters the slideway, the driving rollers can drive the small boat onto the ship to complete the hoisting operation of the small boat. However, this solution is relatively costly and requires a large opening to be made at the stern of the ship to make room for the installation and layout of the slideway. For some ships that cannot have an opening at the stern, other methods have to be considered. It has a certain selectivity for the ship type, with poor ship type applicability and high cost. Under the operating conditions of strong wind and waves, it is also quite difficult for the small boat to drive into the slideway, with relatively high risks. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Inspired by an underwater tension leg platform, the device of this patent adopts the "underwater anchoring principle". The main idea of the overall structure design is that the whole device is composed of a top recovery mechanism, a middle auxiliary positioning mechanism, and a lower support base from top to bottom in sequence. It is in a semi-flexible and semi-rigid state under operating conditions. The lower support base sinks below the sea surface trough during the hoisting process at sea, and under the action of gravity, the tightened steel wire ropes form four fixed boundaries. At this time, the state is that the whole device is divided into upper, middle, and lower parts. The relatively stable lower support base provides sufficient stability for the whole system due to gravity and water resistance, while the upper and middle parts are the main sources of unstable factors in the whole system. Since the top recovery mechanism and the lower support base are connected by flexible steel wire ropes, the dynamic conduction of the unstable upper part is thus blocked; the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism is made of floating materials, and waves and ocean currents are the main factors affecting the system stability.

[0005] First, the undulating motion will drive the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism to float up and down. However, since the degree of freedom of the middle floating body structure in the vertical direction of the steel wire rope is not restricted, the influence of waves on the entire system can be considered negligible. Ocean currents should be said to have an impact on both the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism and the lower support base. The middle auxiliary positioning mechanism is provided with wave-passing holes, and the lower support base adopts a frame structure, which also greatly reduces the influence of the current. Therefore, for the stable system established with the lower base as the core, relying on the fixed boundary formed by the tightened steel wire rope, the translational motion (surge and sway) and large-angle rotation (roll, pitch, and yaw) of the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism in the horizontal plane will be greatly restricted. Under the condition that the middle recovery mechanism is relatively stable, it will be easier to launch and recover the boat under rough sea conditions.

[0006] The advantages of the present invention are as follows:

[0007] 1) No special boat rack is required, and general marine cranes or other equipment can be used to launch and recover the small boat.

[0008] 2) Low requirements for the ship, applicable to various ships, small deck occupation area, no fixed installation required, flexible and convenient storage.

[0009] 3) Strong adaptability to sea conditions, can stably, safely and reliably launch and recover the boat under rough sea conditions.

[0010] 4) Strong adaptability to the boat, can recover / launch various small boats, and can also solve the problem of launching and recovering unmanned boats.

[0011] 5) Low production and manufacturing cost, easy to promote. Description of the Drawings

[0012] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the following will briefly introduce the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art. Obviously, the following drawings are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those of ordinary skill in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative efforts.

[0013] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of a modular small boat launching and recovering device in the storage state provided by the present invention;

[0014] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the working state of the present invention;

[0015] Figure 3 Stereogram of the top recovery mechanism;

[0016] Figure 4 Stereogram of the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism;

[0017] Figure 5It is a three-dimensional view of the lower support base. Detailed implementation mode

[0018] In the following description, a large number of specific details are given to provide a more thorough understanding of the present invention. However, it is obvious to those skilled in the art that the present invention can be implemented without one or more of these details. In other examples, in order to avoid confusion with the present invention, some technical features well known in the art are not described.

[0019] In order to thoroughly understand the present invention, detailed steps and detailed structures will be presented in the following description to explain the technical solution of the present invention. The preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail as follows. However, in addition to these detailed descriptions, the present invention can also have other implementation manners.

[0020] Refer to Figure 1-2 As shown, the present invention provides a modular small boat retracting and deploying device. The modular small boat retracting and deploying device is composed of a top recovery mechanism 100, a middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200, and a lower support base 300 from top to bottom in sequence. The small boat supported on the lower support base 300 is surrounded by the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200.

[0021] The following combines the attached Figures 3 - 5 , and further explains the structures of the top recovery mechanism 100, the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200, and the lower support base 300:

[0022] A winch 103 for retracting and deploying the lower support base 300 is installed on the top recovery mechanism 100. The winch 103 is provided with a plurality of steel wires 102 passing through the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200 and connected to the lower support base 300. A lifting eye plate is provided on the top recovery mechanism 100 for connecting the steel wire of the deck hoist. The middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200 is provided with a floating body frame 201. A plurality of wave-passing holes 202 are opened on the side wall of the floating body frame 201, and a plurality of buffer guiding rollers 203 are arranged along the inner wall of the floating body frame 201. A plurality of longitudinal through holes 205 for the steel wires 102 to pass through are provided on the floating body frame 201. At least two pairs of adaptive support bases 305 for supporting the small boat are provided on the lower support base 300. A plurality of vertical positioning support columns 302 are provided on the side of the lower support base 300. After the steel wire 102 is tightened in place, the top end of the positioning support column 302 abuts against the top recovery mechanism 100.

[0023] Figure 1It is a schematic diagram of the device in the storage state. The three parts can be stored together with the boat as a whole, and the overall structure does not take up too much deck space. When it is necessary to release the boat at sea, we use a crane to first lift the device as a whole off the deck and place it in the sea water, and then control the winch 103 to steadily lower the lower support base 300, the top recovery mechanism 100 is above the sea surface, the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200 floats on the sea surface, and the lower support base 300 sinks below the water surface. The present invention can effectively improve the sea conditions for the recovery and release of small boats such as rescue boats, work boats and unmanned boats, and safely and reliably complete the recovery and release of small boats under relatively severe weather conditions, and the operating sea conditions are significantly improved; the recovery operation of the boat at sea does not require hooking operation, the recovery operation has low risk and high efficiency; the storage of the device is flexible, and does not require a special boat recovery rack and a fixed storage space. The existing lifting equipment on the ship can be used to conveniently complete the recovery and release of the boat at sea; the manufacturing cost is significantly reduced, and the manufacturing and production are easy.

[0024] In an optional embodiment, a plurality of first proximity switches 105 corresponding to the positions of the positioning support columns 302 are provided on the upper frame 101 of the top recovery mechanism 100, and the first proximity switches 105 are connected to the winch 103. A positioning pin 303 is provided at the top of the positioning support column 302 of the lower support base 300, and a plurality of mechanical locking devices or electronic locking devices corresponding to the positions of the positioning support column 302 are provided on the upper frame 101, and the electronic locking device is connected to the first proximity switch 105.

[0025] When the first proximity switch 105 senses that the positioning support column 302 has risen to the specified position, it indicates that the lower support base 300 has risen to the position, and at this time, a signal is sent to the winch 103 to stop tightening the wire rope 102. In addition, the first proximity switch 105 can also send a locking signal to the electronic locking device, and the electronic locking device is closed to lock and fix the positioning support column 302, so as to better ensure the stable connection between the top recovery mechanism 100 and the lower support base 300. The positioning pin 303 plays a positioning role, which facilitates the correct return of the lower support base 300 and the top recovery mechanism 100 during recovery.

[0026] When the upper frame 101 is provided with a mechanical locking device, we can manually unlock the mechanical locking device before lowering the lower support base 300. At this time, since the steel wire rope has not been lowered, the lower support base 300 can still be firmly fixed below the top recovery mechanism 100. When the steel wire rope is tightened to lift the lower support base 300 below the water surface, the positioning pin 303 presses against the mechanical locking device to return it to its original position and realize automatic locking. There are many structural solutions in the prior art that can realize the mechanical locking device of the present invention, which will not be described in detail here.

[0027] In an optional embodiment, pulleys 104 are respectively provided at the four corners of the top recovery mechanism 100, and the winch 103 is provided with four steel wire ropes 102 passing through the pulleys 104 and connected to the four corners of the lower support base 300. A bow cable eye plate 106 is provided at the front end of the upper frame 101, which can be connected to the bow cable, so as to control the lifting posture of the entire device during the lifting process to prevent excessive swinging and rotation.

[0028] In an optional embodiment, the lower frame 301 is provided with two front and rear support base cross frames 306 distributed along the width of the boat, and a pair of left-right symmetrical adaptive support bases 305 are respectively provided on the support base cross frames 306. Each adaptive support base 305 includes a rotating frame 305-1, which is rotatably connected to the support base cross frame 306 and swings in the left-right direction. The upper surface of the rotating frames 305-1 of each pair of adaptive support bases 305 is provided with a roller 305-2 on the side close to each other, and a rubber pad 305-3 on the other side. Figure 5 As shown, the lower frame 301 is provided with two pairs of front and rear adaptive support bases 305, and the rotating frame 305-1 of the adaptive support base 305 can rotate freely to adapt to different bottom lines of the boat, providing safer and more reliable support for the boat.

[0029] In an optional embodiment, a support step 304 is provided on a side of each positioning support column 302 close to the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200 for supporting the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200 .

[0030] The entire lower support base 300 is made of hull steel. In addition to providing sufficient rigid support for the boat and the retracting device, it can also sink below the water surface, relying on gravity and water resistance to provide "anchoring" force for the entire retracting device, thereby stabilizing the entire retracting device. In addition, the lower support base 300 sinks underwater, which also avoids the possibility of collision with the boat during the recovery process.

[0031] In an optional embodiment, if Figure 4As shown in the figure, the floating body frame 201 is made of fiberglass reinforced plastic (FRP), a common material for boat hulls, which is lightweight and strong, making it very suitable as the frame material for the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism 200 of the present invention. The contour line of the floating body frame 201 is designed to match the external line of the small boat, and several buffer guiding rollers 203 are provided inside. The buffer guiding rollers 203 are vertical guiding rollers. Once the small boat enters the floating body, it can automatically position and lock under its own power drive. Preferably, a bow locking device 208 is provided at the front end of the floating body frame 201 to lock and fix the head of the entering small boat. Since the front end of the floating body frame 201 is relatively narrow, in order to ensure that the steel wire rope 102 passes vertically downward through the floating body frame 201, horizontal wing plates 206 are provided on both sides of the front end of the floating body frame 201 for the steel wire rope 102 to pass through.

[0032] Continue to refer to Figure 4 , a guiding door 204 is hinged to at least one side of the tail of the floating body frame 201 ( Figure 4 As shown in the figure, there are two guiding doors 204, one on each of the left and right sides), and the tail guiding door 204 can be opened backward to form a flared opening, facilitating the entry of the small boat into the floating body frame 201. As an optional item, a second proximity switch (not marked in the figure) is provided on the front side of the floating body frame, and a rotation driver for driving the rotation of the guiding door is provided at the tail of the floating body frame 201. The rotation driver is connected to the second proximity switch. Once the small boat enters the floating body frame 201, the second proximity switch sends an electrical signal to the rotation driver, and the rotation driver closes the tail guiding door 204, enabling the entire retractable device to achieve automatic boat retraction without human intervention. Among them, the rotation driver can be a driving mechanism such as a motor or a hydraulic cylinder.

[0033] In summary, compared with the comparative document, the present invention has the following positive effects:

[0034] 1) The current small boat retractable devices generally operate under sea state 4, far from meeting the requirements of our offshore operations. Especially in the rescue field, it is very difficult to carry out boat retraction and deployment operations under larger wind and wave conditions. The present invention makes it possible to carry out boat retraction and deployment operations under strong wind and wave conditions, especially with more obvious advantages under strong wind and wave weather conditions.

[0035] 2) The current small boat retraction and deployment methods all require the configuration of special boat racks or slides, which need to fixedly occupy the ship's space, and the storage and collection are not flexible enough. The present invention can make more flexible use of the ship's space, and the storage location is not fixed and can be adjusted according to needs.

[0036] 3) The current small boat retractable devices have high manufacturing and production costs. The present invention has low costs and is easier to promote and implement.

[0037] 4) Currently, all existing small boat hoisting and lowering devices need to be arranged and installed during the shipbuilding stage. The present invention can be purchased and installed on the ship later, without the need for special boat racks and lifting equipment, and is more flexible and convenient to use.

[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above. It should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the above specific embodiments, and the equipment and structures not described in detail should be understood to be implemented in a common manner in the art; any person skilled in the art can make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention, or modify it into an equivalent embodiment with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention, which does not affect the essence of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention still fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A modular small boat hoisting and lowering device, characterized in that, the modular small boat hoisting and lowering device is successively composed of a top recovery mechanism (100), a middle auxiliary positioning mechanism (200) and a lower support base (300) from top to bottom; A winch (103) for hoisting and lowering the lower support base (300) is installed on the top recovery mechanism (100). The winch (103) is provided with a plurality of steel wires (102) passing through the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism (200) and connected to the lower support base (300). A lifting eye plate is provided on the top recovery mechanism (100); The middle auxiliary positioning mechanism (200) is provided with a floating body frame (201). A plurality of wave-passing holes (202) are formed in the side wall of the floating body frame (201), and a plurality of buffer guiding rollers (203) are arranged along the inner wall of the floating body frame (201). A plurality of longitudinal through holes (205) for the steel wires (102) to pass through are provided on the floating body frame (201); At least two pairs of adaptive support bases (305) for supporting the small boat are provided on the lower support base (300). A plurality of vertical positioning support columns (302) are provided on the side of the lower support base (300). After the steel wire (102) is tightened in place, the top end of the positioning support column (302) abuts against the top recovery mechanism (100).

2. The modular small boat hoisting and lowering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Pulleys (104) are respectively provided at the four corners of the top recovery mechanism (100). The winch (103) is provided with 4 steel wires (102) respectively passing through the pulleys (104) and connected to the four corners of the lower support base (300).

3. The modular small boat hoisting and lowering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, A plurality of first proximity switches (105) corresponding to the positions of the positioning support columns (302) are provided on the upper frame (101) of the top recovery mechanism (100). The first proximity switches (105) are connected to the winch (103).

4. The modular small boat hoisting and lowering device according to claim 3, characterized in that, A positioning pin (303) is provided at the top end of the positioning support column (302). A plurality of mechanical locking devices or electronic locking devices corresponding to the positions of the positioning support columns (302) are provided on the frame of the top recovery mechanism (100). The electronic locking device is connected to the first proximity switch.

5. The modular small boat hoisting and lowering device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The lower frame (301) of the lower support base (300) is provided with two front and rear support base cross frames (306) distributed along the width of the small boat. A pair of left and right symmetric adaptive support bases (305) are respectively arranged on each support base cross frame (306); Each of the adaptive support bases (305) includes a rotating frame (305-1). The rotating frame (305-1) is rotatably connected to the support base cross-frame (306) and swings in the left-right direction. On the upper surface of the side where the rotating frames (305-1) of each pair of adaptive support bases (305) are close to each other, rollers (305-2) are provided, and on the upper surface of the other side, rubber pads (305-3) are provided.

6. The modular small boat retractable device according to claim 1, characterized in that, On one side of each positioning support column (302) close to the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism (200), a support step (304) is provided for supporting the middle auxiliary positioning mechanism (200).

7. The modular small boat retractable device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the floating body frame (201) is fiberglass, and the shape of the floating body frame (201) is the same as the outer contour of the small boat. At the front end of the floating body frame (201), a bow locking device (208) is provided, and on both sides of the front end of the floating body frame (201), horizontal wing plates (206) for the steel wire ropes (102) to pass through are provided.

8. The modular small boat retractable device according to claim 1, characterized in that, On at least one side of the tail of the floating body frame (201), a guiding door (204) is hinged. The guiding door (204) opens backward in the horizontal direction to allow the small boat to enter the floating body frame (201).

9. The modular small boat retractable device according to claim 8, characterized in that, A second proximity switch is provided on the front side of the floating body frame (201), and a rotation driver for driving the guiding door to rotate is provided at the tail of the floating body frame (201). The rotation driver is connected to the second proximity switch.

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