A repeater deployment and recovery device and method based on unmanned boat

Abstract

The present invention proposes a repeater deployment and recovery device and method based on an unmanned boat, which belongs to the field of underwater robot deployment and recovery. It includes a gantry, a ground rail pulley, an armored cable, a winch and a repeater. The repeater is deployed and recovered together with the underwater robot. The gantry is arranged above the ground rail pulley. The gantry includes an upper crossbeam, a stop crossbeam, a side column, a stop guide rail and a guide wheel. The upper crossbeam is connected to the guide wheel. The two sides of the upper crossbeam are respectively connected to two side columns. The two sides of the stop crossbeam are connected to the inner sides of the two side columns through the stop guide rail. The armored cable is arranged on the guide wheel. The armored cable is connected to the repeater and the underwater robot. The winch is connected to the armored cable. It is mainly used for repeater deployment and recovery.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention belongs to the field of underwater robot deployment and recovery, and in particular relates to a repeater deployment and recovery device and method based on an unmanned boat. Background Art

[0002] At present, in the laying of submarine oil and gas pipelines, a multifunctional support vehicle (MSV) with dynamic positioning function is used to release ROV to monitor the mud points of submarine pipelines, temporarily abandon and recover abandoned pipelines, and monitor the route of submarine pipeline laying. This is not only difficult to operate, but also has high operation monitoring costs, and increases the risk of cross-operation of ships, which greatly increases the cost of submarine pipeline laying. At present, in order to reduce the cost of submarine pipeline laying and pipeline monitoring, ARV (Autonomous Remotely Vehicle) is used to replace manually operated ROV, and unmanned surface vehicle (USV) is used to replace MSV for mud point monitoring operations. Among them, the use of USV carrying a repeater (Tether Management System, TMS) and ARV in cooperation has become a research hotspot.

[0003] At present, the retractable equipment of repeater TMS mainly includes A-frame retractable system and boom retractable system. It adopts the lifting form, relying on the lifting equipment installed at the rear of the mother ship to realize the retractable TMS. The advantages of this method are convenient operation and simple device, which can be developed with the help of the modification of ship-borne lifting equipment; the disadvantage is that the mobile carrying capacity is weak, and it is seriously affected by wind, waves and currents when retracting and releasing TMS, which will produce a large swing movement. Therefore, how to design a reliable relay USV deployment and recovery device and successfully deploy and recover TMS+ARV is one of the difficulties in the research. Summary of the invention

[0004] In order to solve the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a repeater deployment and recovery device and method based on an unmanned boat.

[0005] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention adopts the following technical scheme: a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, which includes a gantry, a ground rail pulley, an armored cable, a winch and a repeater, the repeater is deployed and recovered together with an underwater robot, the gantry is arranged above the ground rail pulley, the gantry includes an upper crossbeam, a rotation-stopping crossbeam, side columns, a rotation-stopping guide rail and a guide wheel, the upper crossbeam is connected to the guide wheel, the two sides of the upper crossbeam are respectively connected to two side columns, the two sides of the rotation-stopping crossbeam are connected to the inner sides of the two side columns through the rotation-stopping guide rail, the armored The cable is arranged on the guide wheel, the armored cable is connected to the repeater and the underwater robot, the winch is connected to the armored cable, the ground rail pulley comprises a pulley, a bow towing motor, a bow towing cable, a rail, a stern towing motor and a stern towing cable, the pulley is arranged on the rail through the ground rail wheel, a supporting tool is arranged on the upper part of the pulley, the supporting tool supports the repeater and the underwater robot, the bow towing motor is connected to the bow towing cable, the stern towing motor is connected to the stern towing cable, and the bow towing cable and the stern towing cable are respectively connected to both sides of the pulley.

[0006] Furthermore, a bow buffer limiter and a stern buffer limiter are respectively arranged on both sides of the ground rail pulley.

[0007] Furthermore, the bow buffer limit and the stern buffer limit are both provided with brake self-locking devices.

[0008] Furthermore, a moon pool cover is provided on the ground rail pulley.

[0009] Furthermore, the pulley chassis is provided with a welded frame.

[0010] Furthermore, the rail is installed on a rail fixing seat, and a rail limiting cross beam is arranged on the rail.

[0011] Furthermore, the two side columns are respectively a gantry L side column and a gantry R side column.

[0012] Furthermore, a locking device is provided on the lower side of the unmanned boat.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for deploying a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, which comprises the following steps:

[0014] Step 1: The unmanned boat carries the repeater and underwater robot to the designated working area;

[0015] Step 2: The winch drives the armored cable to lift the repeater and the underwater robot upward to the top of the ground rail pulley support tooling;

[0016] Step 3: The pulley moves to the buffer limit position at the bow, the bow towing motor brake locks the pulley, and the moon pool space of the unmanned boat is vacated;

[0017] Step 4: The armored cable winch releases the cable, and the repeater and the underwater robot use their own weight to dive through the moon pool space of the unmanned boat, and the anti-rotation beam uses gravity to synchronously fall to the lower limit position;

[0018] Step 5: The locking device motor drives the device to open automatically, and the repeater and the underwater robot detach from the unmanned boat and enter the water, completing the deployment task of the repeater and the underwater robot.

[0019] The present invention also provides a method for recovering a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, which comprises the following steps:

[0020] Step 1: After the repeater and the underwater robot are successfully docked and recovered, the winch on the unmanned boat starts to recover the armored cable, and the repeater and the underwater robot begin to float up;

[0021] Step 2: When the repeater and the underwater robot approach the water surface, they use the lateral thrusters to adjust their posture to ensure that the central axis of the repeater and the underwater robot is coplanar with the central axis of the moon pool of the unmanned boat;

[0022] Step 3: The guide pin at the upper end of the repeater frame is inserted into the anti-rotation slide groove of the anti-rotation beam, and the anti-rotation pin set in the guide pin also slides into the anti-rotation slide groove, and the anti-swing lock spring acts to automatically lock;

[0023] Step 4: The winch continues to retract, the repeater and the underwater robot rise to the top along with the armored cable, the brake of the ground rail pulley towing motor is opened, the pulley carrying support tooling moves directly below, and the brake of the stern towing motor locks the pulley;

[0024] Step 5: The winch releases the cable to allow the repeater and the underwater robot to fall into the supporting tooling, and the anti-rotation beam follows and falls synchronously using gravity.

[0025] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: the present invention provides a repeater deployment and recovery device that is easy to operate and stable to deploy and retract. It also provides a relay USV deployment and recovery method that has good versatility, high stability, and can be remotely controlled. The present invention limits the adverse effects of the mother ship's transverse and longitudinal rolling motion and the wind, waves, and currents at sea on the deployment and retraction of the TMS to the greatest extent, improves the efficiency and safety of the deployment and retraction of the TMS, shortens the time required for the deployment and retraction of the TMS, and realizes the stable deployment and retraction of the TMS. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0026] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to the present invention;

[0027] Figure 2 It is a side structural schematic diagram of a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to the present invention;

[0028] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to the present invention;

[0029] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the three-dimensional structure of a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to the present invention;

[0030] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the gantry according to the present invention;

[0031] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the side structure of the gantry according to the present invention;

[0032] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the main structure of the ground rail pulley of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the floor rail pulley from above according to the present invention;

[0034] Fig. 9 The figure is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the armored cable described in the present invention.

[0035] 1: Gantry, 2: Ground rail pulley, 3: Armored cable, 4: Winch, 5: Repeater, 6: Upper beam, 7: Anti-rotation beam, 8: Gantry L side column, 9: Gantry R side column, 10: Anti-rotation guide rail, 11: Guide wheel, 12: Bow towing motor, 13: Bow towing cable, 14: Bow buffer limit, 15: Moon pool cover, 16: Ground rail wheel, 17: Welding frame, 18: Support tooling, 19: Rail fixing seat, 20: Rail, 21: Rail limit beam, 22: Stern towing motor, 23: Stern towing cable, 24: Stern buffer limit. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0036] The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0037] See also Figure 1-9The present embodiment describes a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, which includes a gantry 1, a ground rail pulley 2, an armored cable 3, a winch 4 and a repeater 5. The repeater 5 is deployed and recovered together with the underwater robot ARV. The gantry 1 is arranged above the ground rail pulley 2. The gantry 1 includes an upper crossbeam 6, a rotation-stopping crossbeam 7, a side column, a rotation-stopping guide rail 10 and a guide wheel 11. The upper crossbeam 6 is connected to the guide wheel 11. Two sides of the upper crossbeam 6 are respectively connected to two side columns. Both sides of the rotation-stopping crossbeam 7 are connected to the inner sides of the two side columns through the rotation-stopping guide rail 10. The armored cable 3 is arranged on the guide wheel 11. The cable 3 is connected to the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV, the winch 4 is connected to the armored cable 3, the ground rail pulley 2 includes a pulley, a bow towing motor 12, a bow towing cable 13, a rail 20, a stern towing motor 22 and a stern towing cable 23, the pulley is arranged on the rail 20 through the ground rail wheel 16, and a supporting tool 18 is arranged on the upper part of the pulley, the supporting tool 18 supports the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV, the bow towing motor 12 is connected to the bow towing cable 13, the stern towing motor 22 is connected to the stern towing cable 23, and the bow towing cable 13 and the stern towing cable 23 are respectively connected to both sides of the pulley.

[0038] The bow buffer limit 14 and the stern buffer limit 24 are respectively provided on both sides of the ground rail pulley 2, and the bow buffer limit 14 and the stern buffer limit 24 are both provided with brake self-locking devices. The ground rail pulley 2 is provided with a moon pool cover 15, and the pulley chassis is provided with a welding frame 17. The rail 20 is installed on the rail fixing seat 19, and the rail 20 is provided with a rail limiting beam 21. The moon pool cover 15 is responsible for covering the moon pool space of the unmanned boat; the rail fixing seat 19 is responsible for fixing the pulley rail 9; the rail 20 is responsible for allowing the pulley to slide back and forth on the track; the ground rail wheel 16 is responsible for supporting the pulley to slide back and forth; the welding frame 17 is responsible for supporting; the supporting tooling 18 is responsible for supporting the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV suspended from the gantry.

[0039] The function of the ground rail pulley 2 is to support and store the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV, so as to prevent the winch 4 from always braking the armored cable 3 to suspend the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV, causing damage to the armored cable 3, and at the same time facilitate the movement of the supporting tooling to complete space avoidance.

[0040] When the pulley slides toward the bow end of the boat, the bow towing motor 12 in the pulley rotates and drives the winch to pull the bow towing cable 13, so that the pulley slides along the rail 20 toward the bow of the unmanned boat. When the pulley reaches the bow buffer limit 14, the bow towing motor 12 is turned off, and the pulley is in place and the brake self-locking device is locked.

[0041] When the pulley slides toward the stern end of the boat, the stern towing motor 22 in the pulley rotates and drives the winch to pull the stern towing cable 23, so that the pulley slides along the rail 20 toward the stern of the unmanned boat. When the pulley reaches the stern buffer limit 24, the stern towing motor 22 is turned off, and the pulley is in place and the brake self-locking device is locked.

[0042] The gantry 1 is responsible for bearing the pulling force of the winch 4 to retract and release the repeater 5, and is welded and processed using materials with excellent mechanical properties, plasticity, and welding properties.

[0043] The upper crossbeam 6 is responsible for bearing the force of the guide wheel 11 for retracting and releasing the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV; the anti-rotation crossbeam 7 is installed on the inner side of the gantry side column to bear the swing load caused by the lateral and longitudinal rolling of the unmanned boat, to ensure that the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV cannot rotate along the load-bearing head after they are out of water, so as to avoid hitting the side wall of the moon pool, and the anti-rotation crossbeam 7 finally transmits the force to the side column through the anti-rotation guide rail 10; the two side columns are respectively the gantry L side column 8 and the gantry R side column 9, which are responsible for bearing the force transmitted by the anti-rotation crossbeam 7 and supporting the entire gantry; the anti-rotation guide rail 10 is installed on the inner side of the side column to limit the five degrees of freedom of the anti-rotation crossbeam 7, so that the anti-rotation crossbeam 7 has only the sliding degree of freedom in the lifting direction; the guide wheel 11 is responsible for bearing the armored cable 3 to drop the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV, and guide the direction of the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV during the dropping process.

[0044] The armored cable 3 is responsible for connecting the unmanned boat and the repeater 5 with the underwater robot ARV, and has a certain tensile strength. The length of the armored cable 3 meets the working range requirements of the repeater 5. The preferred model specification is RTFK3×1+1×2B1.3, such as Fig. 9 shown.

[0045] The winch is the main driving unit for the placement and recovery of the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV. It is responsible for the retracted and released armored cable 3 connected to the repeater 5. It has a certain cable storage capacity. The speed of retracting and releasing the armored cable 3 matches the diving speed of the repeater 5. The model specification can be selected from the 3000m optoelectronic composite cable towing winch of Wuxi Subieri Intelligent Equipment Co., Ltd.

[0046] A locking device is provided on the lower side of the unmanned boat, which is responsible for locking the repeater 5 during the recovery process.

[0047] A method for deploying a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, comprising the following steps:

[0048] Step 1: The unmanned boat carries the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV to the predetermined working sea area;

[0049] Step 2: The winch 4 drives the armored cable 3 to lift the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV upward to above the ground rail pulley support tooling 18;

[0050] Step 3: The pulley is moved to the bow buffer limit position 14, the bow tug motor 12 is braked to lock the pulley, and the unmanned boat moon pool space is vacated;

[0051] Step 4: The armored cable winch releases the cable, and the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV use their own weight to dive through the unmanned boat moon pool space, and the anti-rotation beam 7 uses gravity to synchronously fall to the lower limit position;

[0052] Step 5: The locking device motor is driven to open automatically, and the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV are separated from the unmanned boat and enter the water, completing the deployment task of the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV.

[0053] A method for recovering a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, comprising the following steps:

[0054] Step 1: After the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV are successfully docked and recovered, the winch 4 on the unmanned boat starts to recover the armored cable 3, and the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV start to float up;

[0055] Step 2: When the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV approach the water surface, the lateral thrusters are used to adjust their postures to ensure that the central axis of the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV is coplanar with the central axis of the unmanned boat moon pool;

[0056] Step 3: The guide pin at the upper end of the repeater 5 frame is inserted into the anti-rotation slide groove of the anti-rotation beam 7, and the anti-rotation pin set in the guide pin also slides into the anti-rotation slide groove, and the anti-swing lock spring acts to automatically lock;

[0057] Step 4: The winch 4 continues to retract, the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV follow the armored cable 3 to rise to the top, the brake of the towing motor of the ground rail pulley 2 is opened, the pulley carrying support tooling 18 travels directly below, and the brake of the towing motor 22 at the stern of the boat locks the pulley;

[0058] Step 5: The winch 4 releases the cable to make the repeater 5 and the underwater robot ARV fall into the supporting tooling 18, and the anti-rotation beam 7 follows and falls synchronously using gravity.

[0059] The above is a detailed introduction to a repeater deployment and recovery device and method based on an unmanned boat provided by the present invention. Specific examples are used in this article to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only used to help understand the method of the present invention and its core idea; at the same time, for general technical personnel in this field, according to the idea of ​​the present invention, there will be changes in the specific implementation method and application scope. In summary, the content of this specification should not be understood as a limitation on the present invention.

Claims

1. A repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat, characterized in that: It comprises a gantry (1), a ground rail pulley (2), an armored cable (3), a winch (4) and a repeater (5). The repeater (5) is deployed and recovered together with the underwater robot. The gantry (1) is arranged above the ground rail pulley (2). The gantry (1) comprises an upper crossbeam (6), a rotation-stopping crossbeam (7), side columns, a rotation-stopping guide rail (10) and a guide wheel (11). The upper crossbeam (6) is connected to the guide wheel (11). The two sides of the upper crossbeam (6) are respectively connected to two side columns. The two sides of the rotation-stopping crossbeam (7) are connected to the inner sides of the two side columns through the rotation-stopping guide rail (10). The armored cable (3) is arranged on the guide wheel (11). The armored cable (3) and the repeater (5) are connected to the guide wheel (11). The invention relates to a submarine robot, wherein the winch (4) is connected to an armored cable (3); the ground rail pulley (2) comprises a pulley, a bow towing motor (12), a bow towing cable (13), a steel rail (20), a stern towing motor (22) and a stern towing cable (23); the pulley is arranged on the steel rail (20) through a ground rail wheel (16); a supporting tool (18) is arranged on the upper part of the pulley; the supporting tool (18) supports the repeater (5) and the underwater robot; the bow towing motor (12) is connected to the bow towing cable (13); the stern towing motor (22) is connected to the stern towing cable (23); and the bow towing cable (13) and the stern towing cable (23) are respectively connected to two sides of the pulley.

2. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: A bow buffer limiter (14) and a stern buffer limiter (24) are respectively arranged on both sides of the ground rail pulley (2).

3. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bow buffer limiter (14) and the stern buffer limiter (24) are both provided with brake self-locking devices.

4. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ground rail pulley (2) is provided with a moon pool cover plate (15).

5. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The trolley chassis is provided with a welded frame (17).

6. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The steel rail (20) is mounted on a steel rail fixing seat (19), and a steel rail limiting cross beam (21) is arranged on the steel rail (20).

7. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: The two side columns are respectively a gantry L side column (8) and a gantry R side column (9).

8. The repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat according to claim 1, characterized in that: A locking device is arranged on the lower side of the unmanned boat.

9. A method for deploying a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: Step 1: The unmanned boat carrying the repeater (5) and the underwater robot arrives at the predetermined working sea area; Step 2: The winch (4) drives the armored cable (3) to lift the repeater (5) and the underwater robot upward to above the ground rail pulley support tooling (18); Step 3: The pulley is moved to the bow buffer limit position (14), the bow tug motor (12) is braked to lock the pulley, and the unmanned boat moon pool space is vacated; Step 4: The armored cable winch releases the cable, and the repeater (5) and the underwater robot use their own weight to dive through the unmanned boat moon pool space, and the anti-rotation beam (7) uses gravity to synchronously fall to the lower limit position; Step 5: The locking device motor is driven to open automatically, and the repeater (5) and the underwater robot are separated from the unmanned boat and enter the water, completing the deployment task of the repeater (5) and the underwater robot.

10. A method for recovering a repeater deployment and recovery device based on an unmanned boat as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: Step 1: After the repeater (5) and the underwater robot are successfully docked and recovered, the winch (4) on the unmanned boat starts to recover the armored cable (3), and the repeater (5) and the underwater robot begin to float up; Step 2: When the repeater (5) and the underwater robot approach the water surface, the lateral thrusters are used to adjust their postures to ensure that the central axis of the repeater (5) and the underwater robot is coplanar with the central axis of the moon pool of the unmanned boat; Step 3: The guide pin at the upper end of the repeater (5) frame is inserted into the anti-rotation slide groove of the anti-rotation beam (7), and the anti-rotation pin set in the guide pin also slides into the anti-rotation slide groove, and the anti-swing lock spring acts to automatically lock; Step 4: The winch (4) continues to reel in, the repeater (5) and the underwater robot follow the armored cable (3) to rise to the top, the brake of the towing motor of the ground rail pulley (2) is opened, the pulley carrying support tooling (18) travels directly below, and the brake of the stern towing motor (22) locks the pulley; Step 5: The winch (4) releases the cable to make the repeater (5) and the underwater robot fall into the supporting tooling (18), and the anti-rotation beam (7) follows and falls synchronously by gravity.

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