A slack compensator and compensation method for 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable

Abstract

The present invention provides a slack compensator and compensation method for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable, comprising a movable pulley, a hydraulic piston cylinder, a wire-type displacement sensor, a pressure sensor, and an accumulator; the movable pulley is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder and a mounting bracket; the hydraulic piston cylinder is used to provide displacement compensation for the movable pulley; the wire-type displacement sensor is used to obtain the moving distance of the movable pulley; the pressure sensor is used to obtain the pressure in the hydraulic piston cylinder; the accumulator is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder, and is used to provide a suitable target pressure through a displacement pressure curve, and to adjust the pressure so that the movable pulley returns to a fixed position after compensation. The slack compensator in the present invention can adjust the internal oil pressure through the accumulator, and no matter whether the winch cable is too loose or too tight, the movable pulley can be returned to the middle stroke of the piston rod through the oil pressure adjustment after compensation, so that it can have sufficient compensation margin to cope with the next compensation of the winch cable being too loose or too tight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of deep-sea winches, and in particular to a slack compensator and a compensation method for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable. Background Art

[0002] During deep-sea operations, such as deep-water manned operations, deep-sea mining, and deep-sea sampling, the mother vessel relies on its onboard 10,000-meter deep-sea winch to tow and lower the operating equipment to a fixed position on the seabed. During this process, scientific research instruments and other operating equipment operate in the complex 10,000-meter deep-sea area. The cables tow and protect them, passing through the traction winch, the cable-laying device, and finally stored on the storage winch. In order for the 10,000-meter cable to maintain a certain internal tension and be neatly arranged on the storage winch as the cable-laying device arranges it, the cable must maintain a certain degree of tension during the winch's retraction and deployment operations. However, when the traction winch and the storage winch operate out of sync, the cable can become momentarily too loose or too tight. This not only shortens the cable's service life but also causes cable tangles and seriously affects its effectiveness.

[0003] The winch mentioned in the prior art usually uses a hydraulic cylinder to compensate for the rope being too loose or too tight. However, after a single hydraulic cylinder performs compensation, the hydraulic cylinder piston is offset, making it difficult to compensate for the next loose or tight rope. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a slack compensator for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable, the slack compensator comprising a moving pulley, a hydraulic piston cylinder, a mounting bracket and an accumulator;

[0005] The movable pulley includes a sliding bracket and a pulley, the pulley is used to pass the winch cable, the sliding bracket is covered on the outside of the pulley, and is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder and the mounting bracket;

[0006] The hydraulic piston cylinder includes an oil cylinder and a piston rod, the oil cylinder is fixedly arranged on the mounting bracket, one end of the piston rod is arranged in the oil cylinder, and the other end is connected to the sliding bracket;

[0007] The mounting bracket is provided with two cylindrical guide columns on both sides of the hydraulic piston cylinder along the movement direction of the piston rod, and the sliding bracket is rollingly connected to the cylindrical guide columns through a sliding connection block;

[0008] The sliding connection block includes two spindle-shaped rollers arranged side by side and respectively fixed on both sides of the cylindrical guide column;

[0009] The accumulator is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder and is used to adjust the pressure so that the hydraulic piston cylinder is maintained at a fixed position.

[0010] Furthermore, the slack compensator further includes a pull-wire displacement sensor, which includes a pull wire and a sensor end, the sensor end is arranged on the mounting bracket, and the pull wire is arranged on the sliding bracket.

[0011] Furthermore, the slack compensator further comprises a pressure sensor, which is arranged between the hydraulic piston cylinder and the accumulator and is used to measure the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic cylinder.

[0012] Furthermore, the slack compensator further comprises a proportional pressure valve, which is arranged between the hydraulic piston cylinder and the accumulator and is used to set a pushing pressure for the hydraulic cylinder piston rod to extend outward or retract inward.

[0013] Furthermore, the slack compensator includes a welding mounting kit, the welding mounting kit including a welding mounting bracket, a mounting pin and a connecting bolt;

[0014] The welding mounting frame includes a side plate and a bottom plate, the side plate and the bottom plate are perpendicular to each other, and the side plate is provided with a pin hole and a screw hole for setting a mounting pin and a connecting bolt respectively;

[0015] The mounting pin is connected to the mounting panels around the mounting bracket, and the connecting bolts tighten the mounting pin to prevent it from loosening;

[0016] The bottom plate is used for welding to the hull after the slack compensator is in place.

[0017] Furthermore, anti-collision blocks and proximity sensors are provided at both ends of the cylindrical guide column to prevent the movable pulley from colliding with the mounting bracket due to excessive fluctuation.

[0018] A slack compensation method for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable is also provided, the slack compensation method comprising the following steps:

[0019] Step 1: Initialize the movable pulley to the middle position; at the same time, obtain the displacement-pressure curve according to the size of the winch cable slack compensator and the pressure of the hydraulic cylinder;

[0020] Step 2: determining the displacement of the moving pulley caused by the change in cable tension using a wire-drawn displacement sensor;

[0021] Step 3: Obtain the target pressure of the hydraulic cylinder based on the displacement and the displacement-pressure curve, and then use the pressure sensor to measure the actual pressure value of the hydraulic cylinder;

[0022] Step 4: Input the difference between the target pressure value and the actual pressure value into the proportional pressure valve, control the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the output pressure, and use feedback regulation to ensure that the pressure of the compensator accurately reaches the target pressure to achieve the target compensation effect.

[0023] The beneficial effects achieved by the present invention are:

[0024] The slack compensator in the present invention can adjust the internal oil pressure through the accumulator. Regardless of whether the winch cable is too loose or too tight, the movable pulley can be restored to the middle stroke of the piston rod through oil pressure adjustment after compensation, so that it can have sufficient compensation margin to cope with the next compensation of the winch cable being too loose or too tight.

[0025] The present invention adopts a spindle-type pulley roller. Due to the complexity and changeability of the deep-sea environment, the pulley needs to have a faster response speed to reach the specified position to complete tension compensation. Therefore, the four support points of the pulley are designed as a spindle-type roller structure. There is line contact between it and the cylindrical guide shaft, and the friction is small, so it can support the pulley to move quickly on the cylindrical guide shaft according to the control signal.

[0026] The present invention incorporates a removable anti-cable roller. Because cable retraction and deployment takes a long time in deep-sea environments, it is important to prevent the cable from detaching from the compensator pulley due to friction, cable fluctuations, and speed changes during the retraction and deployment process. The roller rotates as the cable is retracted and deployed, blocking the cable from detaching from the compensator pulley. When the roller wears out, it can be removed and replaced, ensuring the sustainability of long-distance deep-sea cable retraction and deployment.

[0027] The present invention incorporates a combination of anti-collision blocks and proximity sensors for extreme position protection. Due to the extremely complex deep-sea environment, certain special circumstances during cable reeling and unreeling require rapid stopping and starting of the equipment. During this process, the cable experiences significant slack and fluctuation. To prevent the compensator pulley from striking the side baffles and causing damage, a hardware and software anti-collision redundancy design, combining anti-collision blocks and proximity sensors, is designed. This double safeguard protects the mechanical structure from damage in these critical situations. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a slack compensator used for 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable;

[0029] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a spindle-shaped roller in a slack compensator used in a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable;

[0030] Figure 3 This is a control block diagram of a slack compensator for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable;

[0031] Figure 4 It is a displacement-pressure curve diagram used in the slack compensation method for 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cables.

[0032] Description of the drawings: movable pulley 7, hydraulic piston cylinder 8, wire-type displacement sensor 9, proportional pressure valve 10, pressure sensor 11 and accumulator 12. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The following is combined with Figure 1-4 The technical solution of the present invention is described in more detail. The present invention includes but is not limited to the following embodiments.

[0034] As attached Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides a slack compensator for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable, which includes a movable pulley 7, a hydraulic piston cylinder 8, a wire-type displacement sensor 9, a proportional pressure valve 10, a pressure sensor 11 and an accumulator 12.

[0035] Among them, the hydraulic piston cylinder 8, the wire-type displacement sensor 9, the proportional pressure valve 10, the pressure sensor 11 and the accumulator 12 are all arranged on the mounting bracket.

[0036] The mounting bracket includes a front bracket, a rear bracket, and two cylindrical guide posts. The front bracket and rear bracket are fixed to the hull respectively, and the two cylindrical guide posts are symmetrically arranged between the front bracket and the rear bracket. The front bracket and the rear bracket are also equipped with anti-collision blocks and proximity sensors on the inside to prevent the cable from slack and fluctuation, which could cause the moving pulley 7 to hit the front bracket or the rear bracket.

[0037] The movable pulley 7 comprises a sliding bracket and a pulley, wherein the pulley is used to pass the winch cable. The sliding bracket is coated on the outside of the pulley, and a mounting shaft is provided in the center thereof for mounting the pulley; the lower part of the sliding bracket is connected to the piston rod of the hydraulic piston cylinder 8.

[0038] As attached Figure 2 As shown, four sliding connection blocks are symmetrically provided on both sides below the sliding bracket at positions matching the connection with the cylindrical guide column, and each sliding connection block slides on the cylindrical guide column respectively; the sliding connection blocks include two spindle-shaped rollers arranged side by side, and the size and shape of the outer edges of the spindle-shaped rollers match the outer wall of the cylindrical guide column, and are respectively fixed on both sides of the cylindrical guide column; line contact is formed between the spindle-shaped rollers and the cylindrical guide shaft, with less friction and faster response speed.

[0039] In one embodiment, the sliding bracket is divided into two parts, one above and one below, mounted on either side of the pulley. Multiple, evenly distributed, removable anti-cable rollers are also installed at the corresponding locations on the sliding bracket where the pulley passes through the winch cable. The upper and lower ends of these rollers are mounted on the upper and lower parts of the sliding bracket, respectively. These rollers can roll along the winch cable retraction and deployment direction, rotating as the cable is retracted and deployed, while also blocking the cable from escaping the compensator pulley. When the rollers become worn, they can be removed and replaced, ensuring the sustainability of long-distance deep-sea cable deployment.

[0040] The hydraulic piston cylinder 8 includes an oil cylinder and a piston rod. The oil cylinder is fixedly set between two cylindrical guide columns on the mounting bracket. One end of the piston rod is set in the oil cylinder and the other end is connected to the sliding bracket, which is used to drive the movable pulley 7 to move and compensate through oil.

[0041] The pull rope of the pull-wire displacement sensor 9 is connected to the movable pulley 7 and is used to detect the position of the movable pulley 7 .

[0042] The proportional pressure valve 10 is used to set the pushing pressure for the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder to extend outward or retract inward.

[0043] The pressure sensor 11 is used to measure the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic cylinder.

[0044] The accumulator 12 is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder 8 through a pipeline. When the piston rod of the hydraulic cylinder piston 8 extends outward or retracts inward, excess hydraulic oil will quickly flow into and out of the accumulator 12, alleviating the impact force caused by excessive pressure changes.

[0045] The slack compensator also includes a welding installation kit, which includes a welding installation frame, a mounting pin and a connecting bolt; the welding installation frame includes a side plate and a bottom plate, and the side plate and the bottom plate are perpendicular to each other and are provided with reinforcing ribs for increasing strength.

[0046] The welded mounting frame is connected to the mounting panels around the compensator mounting bracket using mounting pins. The mounting pins are then tightened with screws to prevent loosening. Once the mounting frame and mounting panels are properly aligned, they are tightened again with connecting bolts. Once all mounting panels around the base are connected, the base is positioned according to the platform's positioning requirements. Once positioned, the welded mounting frame is welded to the platform surface, completing the installation of the compensator. During compensator operation, the base load is primarily borne by the mounting pins and connecting bolts.

[0047] As attached Figure 3 As shown, the pressure sensor 11 and the wire-type displacement sensor 9 respectively collect the current displacement of the movable pulley 7 and the oil pressure in the hydraulic piston cylinder 8. The system generates a target pressure that can restore the movable pulley 7 to the center position based on the displacement of the movable pulley 7. The target pressure is compared with the oil pressure detected by the pressure sensor 11 to generate an oil pressure change; the system inputs or outputs the oil corresponding to the oil pressure change into or out of the hydraulic piston cylinder 8 through the proportional pressure valve 10, so that the piston rod drives the movable pulley 7 to return to the center position.

[0048] Specifically, the present application also includes a control method for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable slack compensator, the method comprising the following steps:

[0049] Step 1: Obtain a displacement-pressure (SP) curve based on the size of the winch cable slack compensator and the hydraulic cylinder pressure, and initialize the compensator pulley to the middle position;

[0050] The cable is released from the cable storage winch, passed through the cable slack compensator pulley and the traction winch, and then connected to a weight. The traction winch is then operated to tension the cable between the cable storage winch and the traction winch. Assuming the pulley installation position is the zero point, the maximum and minimum pressures of the hydraulic cylinder at different pulley positions under the cable tension state are measured using a pressure sensor. After multiple tests, the displacement-pressure (SP) curve is obtained, as shown in the following example: Figure 4 This curve is the optimal target pressure of the hydraulic cylinder when the pulley is in different positions.

[0051] Step 2: During the normal retraction and extension operation of the winch, the pulley displacement caused by the change in cable tension is determined using a displacement-type pull rope sensor;

[0052] Step 3: Obtain the target pressure of the hydraulic cylinder based on the pulley displacement and the SP curve, and then use the pressure sensor to measure the actual pressure value of the hydraulic cylinder;

[0053] Step 4: Input the difference between the target pressure value and the actual pressure value into the pressure controller, control the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the output pressure, and use feedback regulation to ensure that the pressure of the compensator accurately reaches the target pressure to achieve the target compensation effect.

[0054] At the same time, no matter whether the cable between the traction winch and the cable storage winch is too loose or too tight, the change in cable tension will be transmitted to the hydraulic cylinder through the pressure of the hydraulic oil, causing the change in the accumulator gas volume, which can also assist in realizing the cable slack compensation function and reduce the system tension peak.

[0055] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned specific embodiments. A person skilled in the art can implement the present invention in a variety of other specific embodiments based on the embodiments and the contents disclosed in the drawings. Therefore, any design that adopts the design structure and ideas of the present invention and makes some simple transformations or changes falls within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A slack compensator for a 10,000-meter deep-sea winch cable, characterized in that: The slack compensator comprises a movable pulley (7), a hydraulic piston cylinder (8), a mounting bracket and an accumulator (12); The movable pulley (7) comprises a sliding bracket and a pulley, the pulley is used to pass a winch cable, the sliding bracket is covered on the outside of the pulley, and is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder (8) and the mounting bracket; The hydraulic piston cylinder (8) comprises an oil cylinder and a piston rod, wherein the oil cylinder is fixedly arranged on the mounting bracket, one end of the piston rod is arranged in the oil cylinder, and the other end is connected to the sliding bracket; The mounting bracket is provided with two cylindrical guide columns on both sides of the hydraulic piston cylinder (8) along the movement direction of the piston rod, and the sliding bracket is rollingly connected to the cylindrical guide columns via a sliding connection block; The sliding connection block includes two spindle-shaped rollers arranged side by side and respectively fixed on both sides of the cylindrical guide column; The accumulator (12) is connected to the hydraulic piston cylinder (8) and is used to adjust the pressure so that the hydraulic piston cylinder (8) is maintained at a fixed position; The slack compensation method includes the following steps: Step 1, setting the pulley installation position as zero point, and initially setting the movable pulley (7) at the middle position; using a pressure sensor, measuring the maximum and minimum pressures of the hydraulic cylinder at different pulley positions under the cable tensioning state, and obtaining a displacement-pressure curve after multiple tests; Step 2, determining the displacement of the movable pulley (7) caused by the change in cable tension according to the wire-drawing displacement sensor (9); Step 3, obtaining the target pressure of the hydraulic cylinder according to the displacement and the displacement-pressure curve, and then measuring the actual pressure value of the hydraulic cylinder using the pressure sensor (11); Step 4: Input the difference between the target pressure value and the actual pressure value into the proportional pressure valve (10), control the hydraulic cylinder to adjust the output pressure, and use feedback regulation to ensure that the pressure of the compensator accurately reaches the target pressure to achieve the target compensation effect.

2. The slack compensator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slack compensator further comprises a pull-wire displacement sensor (9), the pull-wire displacement sensor (9) comprising a pull wire and a sensor end, the sensor end being arranged on the mounting bracket, and the pull wire being arranged on the sliding bracket.

3. The slack compensator according to claim 2, characterized in that: The relaxation compensator further comprises a pressure sensor (11), which is arranged between the hydraulic piston cylinder (8) and the accumulator (12) and is used to measure the pressure of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic cylinder.

4. The slack compensator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slack compensator further comprises a proportional pressure valve (10), which is arranged between the hydraulic piston cylinder (8) and the accumulator (12) and is used to set a pushing pressure for the hydraulic cylinder piston rod to extend outward or retract inward.

5. The slack compensator according to claim 1, characterized in that: The slack compensator includes a welding mounting kit, which includes a welding mounting bracket, a mounting pin and a connecting bolt; The welding mounting frame includes a side plate and a bottom plate, the side plate and the bottom plate are perpendicular to each other, and the side plate is provided with a pin hole and a screw hole for setting a mounting pin and a connecting bolt respectively; The mounting pin is connected to the mounting panels around the mounting bracket, and the connecting bolts tighten the mounting pin to prevent it from loosening; The bottom plate is used for welding to the hull after the slack compensator is in place.

6. The slack compensator according to claim 1, characterized in that: Anti-collision blocks and proximity sensors are also provided at both ends of the cylindrical guide column to prevent the movable pulley (7) from colliding with the mounting bracket due to excessive fluctuation.

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