Optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment and use method thereof

Abstract

The present invention discloses an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment and a method for using the same, wherein the optical cable protection device comprises an anti-bending protection device and a bending limiting device, wherein the anti-bending protection device comprises an end connecting screw, an end flange plate, a front end reinforcing connecting keel, a flexible anti-bending cone, a rear end reinforcing connecting keel, and a rear end connecting ring, and the bending limiting device comprises a bending limiting half-tile and a connecting bolt assembly; through the flexible anti-bending cone and the bending limiter device, the suspended optical cable is safely and smoothly guided to the seabed, and fatigue damage to the fixed parts of the remaining underwater equipment caused by the optical cable under dynamic movement is avoided, and at the same time, the remaining suspended or intermittently suspended optical cables extending beyond a certain length are prevented from being damaged by overbending during shaking, effectively solving the safety problem of the suspended section of the optical cable and improving the operating safety of the optical cable. The device of the present invention has a simple structure, is easy to install and use, and has good operability and reliability.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an optical cable protection device and a use method thereof, in particular to an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment and a use method thereof, belonging to the technical field of marine cable engineering. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous development and use of marine resources by humans, countries are paying more and more attention to the marine field. In order to improve the understanding of the characteristics of marine resources, some underwater fixed observation equipment is generally installed in the sea area to observe the situation on the seabed and accumulate information for the efficient development of seabed resources. Since the marine rights and interests area is generally more than 20 nautical miles away from the coast, the observed information needs to be transmitted to the control center on the shore through submarine cables. Remote underwater fixed observation equipment is far from the coast and difficult to carry out regular maintenance, so the equipment itself needs to have good protection capabilities. The observation equipment is generally designed with a heavy protective cover during construction and installation, so it will not be accidentally bumped and damaged during use. However, the optical cable for information transmission is under the influence of the marine environment for a long time, especially the part from the underwater fixed equipment to the seabed, which is in a suspended transition and is subjected to the influence of water flow for a long time, so it needs to be protected. If a bend limiter is used, it can only limit static fixed cables or optical fibers, and cannot adapt to long-term dynamic environments. If a bend stiffener is used, it can only protect the bend at the root of the optical fiber or cable, and cannot be used to protect a longer part. Moreover, the longer the bend stiffener is, the higher the cost is. It cannot protect the suspended cable section of the underwater fixed equipment with a drop to the seabed. If this part of the cable or optical fiber cannot be effectively protected, it will cause fatigue fracture or wear and tear after a period of time, resulting in failure.

[0003] It is in this context that this patent application proposes an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment and a method of using the same. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings of the prior art and to provide an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment and a method of using the same.

[0005] The present invention is achieved by the following technical solutions:

[0006] An optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment, comprising an anti-bending protection device and a bending limiting device;

[0007] The anti-bending protection device comprises an end connecting screw, an end flange plate, a front end strengthening connecting keel, a flexible anti-bending cone, a rear end strengthening connecting keel and a rear end connecting ring;

[0008] The end connecting screw is a full-threaded rod resistant to marine environment after special surface coating, the end flange plate is a ring plate made of stainless steel, and the end flange plate is provided with threaded holes on the circumference. The rear end of the end connecting screw is threadedly connected with the threaded holes provided on the end flange plate, and the portion of the end connecting screw extending out of the end flange plate is locked with a nut;

[0009] The front end reinforcement connection keel is a mesh cage structure made by bending stainless steel round steel, and the rear end of the end flange plate is welded and connected to the front end reinforcement connection keel;

[0010] The flexible anti-bending cone is a hollow conical cylinder made by casting polyurethane elastomer, the end of the flexible anti-bending cone close to the end flange plate is the front large end, and the end of the flexible anti-bending cone close to the rear end connecting ring is the rear small end; the front end reinforced connecting keel body is embedded in the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone, and the cylindrical end face of the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone is fixedly connected to the end face of the end flange plate;

[0011] The rear end reinforcement connection keel is a mesh cage structure made by bending stainless steel round steel, the rear end connection ring is a ring made of stainless steel material with a certain degree of outer edge, the rear end reinforcement connection keel is welded to the front end of the rear end connection ring, the main body of the rear end reinforcement connection keel is embedded in the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone, and the cylindrical end face of the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone is fixedly connected to the end face of the rear end connection ring;

[0012] The bending limiting device is a multi-section structural form, comprising a bending limiting half-tile and a connecting bolt assembly. The bending limiting half-tile is a half-tile body cast with polyurethane using a mold, one end of the bending limiting half-tile is provided with a raised ring platform, and the other end is provided with a ring groove. Two symmetrically installed bending limiting half-tiles form a circular sleeve through the connecting bolt assembly; the raised ring platform of each group of the bending limiting half-tile is inserted into the adjacent ring groove of the bending limiting half-tile, and the raised ring platform can swing in the ring groove at an angle range of 3° to 5°; the ring groove of the bending limiting half-tile at the end of the bending limiting device is connected to the rear end connecting ring.

[0013] The present invention also relates to a method for using an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment, the method comprising the following steps:

[0014] Step S1: The end connecting screw is threadedly connected and fixed with the end flange plate, and the front end reinforcing connecting keel is welded to the rear end of the end flange plate to form a front end steel structure; at the same time, the rear end reinforcing connecting keel and the rear end connecting ring are connected as a whole to form a rear end cage-type structure; the front end steel structure is installed to the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone tube, and the rear end cage-type structure is installed to the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone tube, and the polyurethane elastomer is poured after positioning and adjustment, and the pouring is completed, and the anti-bending protection device with a certain elasticity is made after demoulding and secondary vulcanization; the bending limiting half-tile is manufactured by using a mold to cast polyurethane, and the bending limiting half-tile with a certain hardness is made after demoulding and secondary vulcanization;

[0015] Step S2: pre-thread the anti-bending protection device to the front end of the optical cable and allow the optical cable to extend to a certain length, connect the passed optical cable to the underwater fixed observation equipment and provide watertight protection; align the end connecting screw with the flange on the underwater fixed observation equipment by alignment, install a locking nut on the end of the end connecting screw, and continuously tighten it until the end flange plate is tightly attached to the flange of the underwater structure to complete the installation of the anti-bending protection device; install the corresponding number of the bending limiting devices according to design analysis and operation needs;

[0016] Step S3: Install the underwater fixed observation equipment to a predetermined position on the seabed by hoisting, and control the posture of the underwater optical cable to avoid damage; after the underwater fixed observation equipment is installed, slowly lower the optical cable into the water by the optical cable laying system, and move the construction ship at the same time, so that the optical cable is continuously extended from the outlet of the underwater fixed observation equipment and stably sunk on the seabed; the suspended section of the optical cable from the outlet of the underwater fixed observation equipment to the seabed is protected by the anti-bending protection device and the bending limiting device, so as to avoid fatigue damage and over-bending damage of the suspended section of the optical cable after a period of time;

[0017] Step S4: When the water flow acts on the optical cable and makes it swing, the optical cable part on the seabed is driven to swing together, which generates a large bending stress on the fixed end of the optical cable. The polyurethane elastomer of the flexible anti-bending cone is deformed to resist the bending stress and protect the safety of the optical cable. At the same time, the suspended optical cable in the water will bend, and the nesting and clamping of the bending limiting half-tile will limit the bending deformation of the internally wrapped optical cable from exceeding the bending radius of the bending limiting device, thereby protecting the bending safety of the suspended section of the optical cable.

[0018] Beneficial effects of the present invention: Due to the adoption of the above technical solution, an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment can guide the suspended optical cable to the seabed safely and smoothly by installing a flexible anti-bending cone with good elasticity at the outlet of the optical cable of the underwater fixed observation equipment, and installing a bending limiter device behind the flexible anti-bending cone; the flexible anti-bending cone can prevent the optical cable from causing fatigue damage to the fixed parts of the remaining underwater equipment under dynamic movement, and the bending limiter can prevent the remaining suspended or intermittently suspended optical cables extending beyond a certain length from being damaged by overbending during shaking; through the above combination, the safety problem of the suspended section of the optical cable can be effectively solved, and the operating safety of the optical cable can be improved; at the same time, the bending limiter can be infinitely extended as required, further improving the protection effect of the optical cable. The device of the present invention has a simple structure, is easy to install and use, and has good operability and reliability.

[0019] The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 It is a schematic axial view of the overall structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the composition of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the axle side of the overall structure of the preferred embodiment of the present invention after bending;

[0023] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the bending state composition of a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] The markings of the components in the accompanying drawings are as follows: 1. Anti-bending protection device; 1.1. End connecting screw; 1.2. End flange plate; 1.3. Front end reinforcement connecting keel; 1.4. Flexible anti-bending cone; 1.5. Rear end reinforcement connecting keel; 1.6. Rear end connecting ring; 2. Bending limiting device; 2.1. Bending limiting half tile; 2.2. Connecting bolt assembly. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention are described clearly and completely below. 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] like Figure 1-4As shown, an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment includes an anti-bending protection device 1 and a bending limiting device 2; the anti-bending protection device 1 includes an end connecting screw 1.1, an end flange plate 1.2, a front end reinforcing connecting keel 1.3, a flexible anti-bending cone 1.4, a rear end reinforcing connecting keel 1.5, and a rear end connecting ring 1.6; the end connecting screw 1.1 is a full-threaded rod resistant to marine environment after a special surface coating, the end flange plate 1.2 is a ring plate made of stainless steel, and the end flange plate 1.2 is provided with threaded holes on the circumference, and the rear end of the end connecting screw 1.1 and the end flange plate 1.2 are provided with The threaded hole of the end connection screw 1.1 is threadedly connected, and the portion of the end connection screw 1.1 extending out of the end flange plate 1.2 is locked with a nut; the front end reinforcement connection keel 1.3 is a mesh cage structure made of stainless steel round steel bending, and the rear end of the end flange plate 1.2 is welded and connected to the front end reinforcement connection keel 1.3; the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4 is a hollow conical cylinder made of polyurethane elastomer casting, and the end of the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4 close to the end flange plate 1.2 is the front large end, and the end of the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4 close to the rear end connection ring 1.6 is the rear small end; the main body of the front end reinforcement connection keel 1.3 is embedded in the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4. 4, the cylindrical end face of the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4 is fixedly connected to the end face of the end flange plate 1.2; the rear end reinforcement connection keel 1.5 is a mesh cage structure made of stainless steel round steel, the rear end connection ring 1.6 is a ring with a certain degree of outer edge made of stainless steel material, the rear end reinforcement connection keel 1.5 is welded to the front end of the rear end connection ring 1.6, the main body of the rear end reinforcement connection keel 1.5 is embedded in the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4, and the cylindrical end face of the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4 is fixedly connected to the end face of the rear end connection ring 1.6; the bending limiting device 2 is a multi-section structure The bending limiting device 2 includes a bending limiting half-tile 2.1 and a connecting bolt assembly 2.2. The bending limiting half-tile 2.1 is a half-tile body cast by polyurethane using a mold. A raised ring platform is provided at one end of the bending limiting half-tile 2.1, and a ring groove is provided at the other end. Two symmetrically installed bending limiting half-tiles 2.1 form a circular sleeve body through the connecting bolt assembly 2.2; the raised ring platform of each group of bending limiting half-tiles 2.1 is inserted into the ring groove of the adjacent bending limiting half-tile 2.1, and the raised ring platform can swing in the ring groove at an angle range of 3° to 5°; the ring groove of the bending limiting half-tile 2.1 at the end of the bending limiting device 2 is connected to the rear end connecting ring 1.6.

[0027] The method of use of the present invention is as follows:

[0028] The end connecting screw 1.1 is threadedly connected and fixed with the end flange plate 1.2, and the front end reinforcing connecting keel 1.3 is welded to the rear end of the end flange plate 1.2 to form a front end steel structure; at the same time, the rear end reinforcing connecting keel 1.5 and the rear end connecting ring 1.6 are connected together to form a rear end cage-type structure; the front end steel structure is installed to the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone cylinder 1.4, and the rear end cage-type structure is installed to the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone cylinder 1.4, and the polyurethane elastomer is poured after positioning and adjustment. After the pouring is completed, the anti-bending protection device 1 with a certain elasticity is manufactured through demoulding and secondary vulcanization; the bending limiting half-tile 2.1 is manufactured by using a mold and polyurethane casting, and the bending limiting half-tile 2.1 with a certain hardness is manufactured through demoulding and secondary vulcanization;

[0029] Pre-thread the anti-bending protection device 1 to the front end of the optical cable and allow the optical cable to extend to a certain length, connect the passed optical cable to the underwater fixed observation equipment and provide watertight protection; align the end connecting screw 1.1 with the flange on the underwater fixed observation equipment by alignment, install a locking nut on the end of the end connecting screw 1.1, and continuously tighten it until the end flange plate 1.2 is tightly attached to the flange of the underwater structure to complete the installation of the anti-bending protection device 1; install a corresponding number of bending limiting devices 2 according to design analysis and operation needs;

[0030] The underwater fixed observation equipment is installed at a predetermined position on the seabed by hoisting, and the posture of the optical cable in the water is controlled to avoid damage. After the underwater fixed observation equipment is installed, the optical cable is slowly lowered into the water by the optical cable laying system, and the construction ship moves at the same time, so that the optical cable is continuously extended from the outlet of the underwater fixed observation equipment and stably sunk on the seabed. The suspended section of the optical cable from the outlet of the underwater fixed observation equipment to the seabed is protected by an anti-bending protection device 1 and a bending limiting device 2 to avoid fatigue damage and over-bending damage of the suspended section of the optical cable after a period of time.

[0031] When the water flow acts on the optical cable and makes it swing, it drives the part of the optical cable on the seabed to swing together, generating a large bending stress on the fixed end of the optical cable. The polyurethane elastomer of the flexible anti-bending cone 1.4 is deformed to resist the bending stress and protect the safety of the optical cable. At the same time, the suspended optical cable in the water will bend, and the nesting and jamming of the bending limiting half-tile 2.1 will limit the bending deformation of the internally wrapped optical cable from exceeding the bending radius of the bending limiting device 2, thereby protecting the bending safety of the suspended section of the optical cable.

[0032] The above descriptions are merely embodiments of the present invention and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the present invention specification, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for using an optical cable protection device for underwater fixed observation equipment, characterized in that: The optical cable protection device comprises an anti-bending protection device (1) and a bending limiting device (2); The anti-bending protection device (1) comprises an end connecting screw (1.1), an end flange plate (1.2), a front end reinforcing connecting keel (1.3), a flexible anti-bending cone (1.4), a rear end reinforcing connecting keel (1.5), and a rear end connecting ring (1.6); The end connecting screw rod (1.1) is a full-threaded rod resistant to marine environment with a special surface coating, the end flange plate (1.2) is a ring plate made of stainless steel, a threaded hole is provided on the circumference of the end flange plate (1.2), the rear end of the end connecting screw rod (1.1) is threadedly connected to the threaded hole provided in the end flange plate (1.2), and the portion of the end connecting screw rod (1.1) extending beyond the end flange plate (1.2) is locked with a nut; The front end reinforcement connection keel (1.3) is a mesh cage structure made by bending stainless steel round steel, and the rear end of the end flange plate (1.2) is welded to the front end reinforcement connection keel (1.3); The flexible anti-bending cone (1.4) is a hollow conical cylinder made by casting polyurethane elastomer, the end of the flexible anti-bending cone (1.4) close to the end flange plate (1.2) is the front large end, and the end of the flexible anti-bending cone (1.4) close to the rear end connecting ring (1.6) is the rear small end; the main body of the front end reinforced connecting keel (1.3) is embedded in the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone (1.4), and the cylindrical end surface of the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone (1.4) is fixedly connected to the end surface of the end flange plate (1.2); The rear end reinforcement connection keel (1.5) is a mesh cage structure made by bending stainless steel round steel, the rear end connection ring (1.6) is a ring made of stainless steel material with a certain angle on the outer edge, the rear end reinforcement connection keel (1.5) is welded to the front end of the rear end connection ring (1.6), the main body of the rear end reinforcement connection keel (1.5) is embedded in the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone cylinder (1.4), and the cylindrical end face of the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone cylinder (1.4) is fixedly connected to the end face of the rear end connection ring (1.6); The bending limiting device (2) is a multi-section structural form, comprising a bending limiting half-tile (2.1) and a connecting bolt assembly (2.2); the bending limiting half-tile (2.1) is a half-tile body cast by using a mold with polyurethane; one end of the bending limiting half-tile (2.1) is provided with a raised ring platform, and the other end is provided with a ring groove; two symmetrically installed bending limiting half-tiles (2.1) form a circular sleeve body through the connecting bolt assembly (2.2); the raised ring platform of each group of the bending limiting half-tile (2.1) is inserted into the ring groove of the adjacent bending limiting half-tile (2.1), and the raised ring platform swings in the ring groove at an angle of 3° to 5°; the ring groove of the bending limiting half-tile (2.1) at the end of the bending limiting device (2) is connected to the rear end connecting ring (1.6); The method of use includes the following steps: Step S1: The end connecting screw (1.1) is threadedly connected and fixed to the end flange plate (1.2), and the front end reinforcing connecting keel (1.3) is welded to the rear end of the end flange plate (1.2) to form a front end steel structure; at the same time, the rear end reinforcing connecting keel (1.5) and the rear end connecting ring (1.6) are connected together to form a rear end cage-type structure; the front end steel structure is installed to the front large end of the flexible anti-bending cone cylinder (1.4), and the rear end cage-type structure is installed to the rear small end of the flexible anti-bending cone cylinder (1.4), and the polyurethane elastomer is poured after positioning and adjustment. After the pouring is completed, the anti-bending protection device (1) is manufactured through demoulding and secondary vulcanization; the bending limiting half-tile (2.1) is manufactured through polyurethane casting using a mold, and the bending limiting half-tile (2.1) is manufactured through demoulding and secondary vulcanization; Step S2: pre-thread the anti-bending protection device (1) to the front end of the optical cable and allow the optical cable to extend to a certain length, connect the extended optical cable to the underwater fixed observation equipment and provide watertight protection; align the end connecting screw (1.1) with the flange on the underwater fixed observation equipment by alignment, install a locking nut on the end of the end connecting screw (1.1), and continuously tighten it until the end flange plate (1.2) is tightly attached to the flange of the underwater structure, thereby completing the installation of the anti-bending protection device (1); install the corresponding number of the bending limiting devices (2) according to design analysis and operation requirements; Step S3: installing the underwater fixed observation equipment at a predetermined position on the seabed by hoisting, and controlling the posture of the underwater optical cable to avoid damage; after the underwater fixed observation equipment is installed, the optical cable is slowly lowered into the water by the optical cable laying system, and the construction ship is moved at the same time, so that the optical cable is continuously extended from the outlet of the underwater fixed observation equipment and stably sunk on the seabed; the suspended section of the optical cable from the outlet of the underwater fixed observation equipment to the seabed is protected by the anti-bending protection device (1) and the bending limiting device (2), so as to avoid fatigue damage and over-bending damage of the suspended section of the optical cable after a period of time; Step S4: When the water flow acts on the optical cable and causes it to swing, the optical cable portion on the seabed is driven to swing together, generating a large bending stress on the fixed end of the optical cable. The polyurethane elastomer of the flexible anti-bending cone (1.4) is deformed to resist the bending stress and protect the safety of the optical cable. At the same time, the suspended optical cable in the water will bend. The bend limiting half-tile (2.1) is nested and stuck to limit the bending deformation of the internally wrapped optical cable from exceeding the bending radius of the bend limiting device (2), thereby protecting the bending safety of the suspended section of the optical cable.

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