A submarine cable installation which is easy to maintain

Abstract

This invention discloses a maintenance-friendly submarine cable device, comprising a specially designed floating bag a, a specially designed floating bag b, a protective outer shell, a spiked tube, a signal transceiver unit, and a rotating wheel. The specially designed floating bags a and b are filled with high-density liquid and low-density gas bladders, and a and b are laid alternately on the protective outer shell. A rotating wheel, designed as a directional paddle structure, is located beneath the submarine cable and is spring-loaded and pressed under the cable. The rotating wheel is positioned in an S-shape to lay the submarine cable in an S-shape. Once the submarine cable is raised and leaves the lower tunnel, the rotating wheel slides in a fixed direction, i.e., towards the apex of the S-shape. This maintenance-friendly submarine cable device features ingeniously designed and precisely fitted components, fully realizing daily maintenance and emergency repair functions for submarine cables in a closed mode. Furthermore, the signal transceiver unit works in conjunction with the radio frequency signal transmitter within the specially designed floating bags, significantly enhancing the overall system's intelligence.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of structural design technology, and relates to a submarine system, and more particularly to a submarine cable device that is easy to maintain. Background Technology

[0002] Intelligent Ocean is based on a comprehensive marine information collection and transmission system and supported by the construction of an autonomous, secure and controllable marine cloud environment. It systematically integrates equipment and activities in the three major areas of marine rights, management and control, and development. By using industrial big data and Internet big data technologies, it achieves marine resource sharing, marine activity collaboration, and the discovery of new demands and the creation of new value, thereby achieving the goal of intelligently managing the ocean.

[0003] Smart ocean engineering represents the deep integration of industrialization and informatization in the marine field, and is also a comprehensive solution for enhancing maritime capabilities through deep military-civilian integration. Marine information systems are the foundation of marine management capabilities. As a major maritime power, my country's vast sea areas, highly dispersed activities, and difficulties in information gathering and communication dictate that traditional land-based management models are unsuitable. Only by relying on a robust marine information system can sufficient marine information be obtained, enabling timely and comprehensive understanding of the ocean's situation; and allowing for timely and appropriate countermeasures against various marine natural disasters, emergencies, and illegal activities, thus ensuring a peaceful and harmonious maritime environment.

[0004] Submarine optical cables play a crucial role in enabling communication and internet access across mountains and oceans. Also known as submarine communication cables, these are conductors wrapped in insulated materials, laid on the seabed to establish telecommunications transmission between countries. They are the main arteries ensuring interconnectivity between major global networks. Submarine optical cables currently handle 90% of global international communication traffic and are the primary carrier of information communication worldwide. Currently, there are approximately 450 submarine optical cables globally, with a total length of about 1.2 million kilometers. In the deep sea, the water temperature is extremely stable; they are less susceptible to external electromagnetic interference and lightning strikes, resulting in stable transmission performance. However, maintenance and repair are difficult when submarine cables malfunction. Therefore, communication submarine cable systems require high reliability from repeater components and submarine cables. The lifespan of submarine cable systems is typically designed to be over 20 years. However, submarine cables are susceptible to damage from human activities such as ship anchoring and fishing, as well as natural damage from ocean currents, waves, and friction between the cable and the seabed. Therefore, submarine cables require one or two layers of steel wire armor.

[0005] On the one hand, compared with terrestrial optical cables, submarine optical cables have many advantages, such as not requiring tunnels or supports for laying, thus requiring less investment and allowing for faster construction. On the other hand, submarine cables are buried in the deep sea and must withstand immense pressure, making laying and maintenance extremely difficult. If a cable malfunctions, finding a cable less than 10 centimeters in diameter on the seabed at depths of hundreds or even thousands of meters is like finding a needle in a haystack. Locating the break point, retrieving it, splicing it, and returning it to the seabed is technically incredibly challenging. Submarine cable projects are recognized worldwide as complex and difficult large-scale engineering projects. Due to the complexity of construction techniques, the difficulty of underwater operations, the strict requirements for construction precision, and the high barriers to entry for specialized vessels and equipment, the rock-laying protection technology for submarine cables has long been monopolized by a few foreign manufacturers. This technology is not only expensive but also has unpredictable repair schedules, resulting in extremely high economic and time costs. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to provide an easy-to-maintain submarine cable device that enables various operational modes, including early warning of minor damage, maintenance of major damage, and response to localized infiltration. This system contributes to the construction of national smart marine engineering projects. Based on mechanical engineering and electronic communication technologies, it employs a mechanism primarily consisting of specially designed flotation bags and spiked tubes to achieve the floating positioning and buoyancy pulling functions of the specially designed flotation bags a and b.

[0007] This invention is achieved using the following technical solution:

[0008] A maintenance-friendly submarine cable device includes a specially designed floating bag a, a specially designed floating bag b, a protective outer shell, a spiked tube, a signal transceiver unit, and a rotating wheel. The rotating wheel is designed as a directional paddle structure and is pressed beneath the submarine cable using a spring-loaded mechanism. The submarine cable is laid in an S-shape; once the cable is raised and leaves the underground tunnel, it slides in a fixed direction, i.e., towards the apex of the S-shape. The protective outer shell encircles the submarine cable in a ring shape, and the spiked tube is embedded and fixed to the outside of the protective outer shell. The specially designed floating bags a and b contain... The cable is filled with high-density liquid, and the specially designed floating packs a and b also contain low-density gas bladders. The specially designed floating packs a and b are laid alternately on the protective shell (the high-density liquid ensures that the specially designed floating pack a lies on the protective shell due to gravity); the specially designed floating pack b is connected to the protective shell; the spiked tube is used to puncture the specially designed floating packs a and b after seawater seeps into the submarine cable, thereby causing the submarine cable to float up and leave the lower tunnel; the signal transceiver unit is used to transmit the location of the damaged submarine cable to the rescue and repair equipment.

[0009] In the above technical solution, the signal transceiver unit further includes a radio frequency signal transmitting device, a radio frequency signal receiving device, an acoustic signal transmitting device, and an acoustic signal receiving device; the radio frequency signal transmitting device and the acoustic signal transmitting device are each assigned a unique number.

[0010] The radio frequency signal transmitter is located in a specially designed floating pack a and is bound to an airbag in the specially designed floating pack a. When the specially designed floating pack a floats out of the sea, it will activate the radio frequency signal receiver which is in a dormant state. The radio frequency signal receiver receives the signal emitted by the radio frequency signal transmitter and transmits the number of the radio frequency signal transmitter to the rescue and repair equipment.

[0011] The acoustic signal transmitter is housed in a specially designed floating pack b and is attached to an air bladder inside the floating pack b. The air bladder of the floating pack b is connected to the protective shell via a connecting rope. When the air bladder of the floating pack b is suspended in seawater, the acoustic signal transmitter is activated. The acoustic signal receiver receives the signal emitted by the acoustic signal transmitter and provides the rescue and repair equipment with the serial number of the acoustic signal transmitter.

[0012] Furthermore, the spiked tube penetrates the protective shell. The spiked tube includes an upper tube and a lower tube, which are separated by a movable metal plate. The upper end of the metal plate is embedded with spikes. The lower tube contains a chemical agent that generates bubbles when it comes into contact with water. When it comes into contact with water, it will push the metal plate upward, thereby causing the spikes to pierce the specially designed floating bags a and b.

[0013] The inventive principle of this invention is as follows:

[0014] Given the complexity of the marine environment, locating and maintaining damaged or broken submarine cables presents significant challenges, and the longer the repair time, the greater the losses. Therefore, enhancing their autonomous maintenance capabilities is crucial. When minor damage occurs, timely warnings and accurate location information allow maintenance personnel to nip problems in the bud, making routine maintenance more targeted. In the event of major damage, accurate location information should be provided, and the cable within the fractured area should be autonomously pulled out of the tunnel and moved in a specific direction. Based on the existing S-shaped cable arrangement, the broken cable can be repaired quickly without the need to transport new cables, allowing repair personnel to complete the repair work and restore cable communication in the shortest possible time.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows:

[0016] This invention provides a maintenance-friendly submarine cable device. The components are ingeniously designed and precisely fitted, fully realizing daily maintenance and emergency repair of submarine cables in a closed mode. Furthermore, the signal transceiver unit works in conjunction with the radio frequency signal transmitter within a specially designed floating bag, significantly enhancing the overall system's intelligence.

[0017] The device of this invention can provide timely warnings for minor damage; can significantly shorten the repair time for major damage; has relatively accurate location of damage; fully considers local infiltration damage factors; and has a high degree of intelligence. Attached Figure Description

[0018] Figure 1 System overall structure design drawing;

[0019] Figure 2 a) and b) are design schematic diagrams of the specially designed flotation bags a and b, respectively;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic diagram showing the damaged submarine cable emerging from the tunnel.

[0021] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the guide's operation;

[0022] Among them, 1: special floating bag a, 2: special floating bag b, 3: protective shell, 4: spiked tube, 5: signal transceiver unit, 5a: radio frequency signal transmitter, 5b: sound wave signal transmitter, 5c: radio frequency signal receiver, 5d: sound wave signal receiver, 6: rotating wheel. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments.

[0024] This invention can implement and switch between various working modes, such as signal transmission and reception, minor damage early warning, major damage maintenance, and local penetration response.

[0025] Reference Figure 1 A maintenance-friendly submarine cable device includes a specially designed float a1, a specially designed float b2, a protective outer shell 3, a spiked tube 4, a signal transceiver unit 5, and a rotating wheel 6. The specially designed float a1 and float b2 are filled with a high-density liquid and a low-density gas bladder (such as...). Figure 2 Specially designed float packs a1 and b2 are laid alternately on the protective outer shell 3. The protective outer shell 3 wraps around the submarine cable in a ring shape, and the spiked tube 4 is embedded and fixed to the outside of the protective outer shell 3. The specially designed float pack a1 has an independent six-sided packaging and is located on the protective outer shell 3 by gravity (not in direct contact with the spiked tube 4); the specially designed float pack b2 has only five sides (top, front, back, left, and right) and is fixed to the protective outer shell 3 at the bottom (in direct contact with the spiked tube 4).

[0026] Reference Figure 1Regarding the signal transmission and reception mode, the signal transceiver unit 5 is designed with a radio frequency (RF) signal transmitter 5a, an RF signal receiver 5c, an acoustic signal transmitter 5b, and an acoustic signal receiver 5d. Specifically: ① The RF signal transmitter is housed in a specially designed floating bag a1, bound to an air bladder within it. When it floats to the surface, it activates the dormant RF signal receiver 5c (located at a fixed position on the sea surface); the RF signal receiver 5c receives the signal and transmits the serial number of the RF signal transmitter 5a to the rear. ② The acoustic signal transmitter is housed in a specially designed floating bag b2, bound to an air bladder within it, and remains in a dormant, unactivated state. When maintenance equipment approaches, the acoustic signal receiver 5d receives the signal emitted by the acoustic signal transmitter 5b and determines the specific coordinates of the incident based on the serial number of the acoustic signal transmitter.

[0027] Regarding minor damage warnings, if the submarine cable is damaged, and the outer layers of the specially designed float packs a1 and b2 covering it are broken, even though float pack b2 is connected to the submarine cable, if the number of broken float packs is small and seawater has not seeped into the cable layer, the buoyancy generated is insufficient to lift the waves and move it away from the lower tunnel. Only a small number of damaged float packs a1 will float to the surface due to surface damage and leakage of high-density liquid, thus triggering a warning.

[0028] Reference Figure 3 Regarding the localized infiltration mode, even though the cable breach is small, seawater infiltration can still cause a circuit breaker. The spiked tube 4 penetrates the protective outer shell 3. The spiked tube 4 is designed with an upper and lower tube separated by a movable metal plate with spikes embedded in it. The upper tube is angled upwards and contacts the outer packaging of the specially designed floating bags a1 and b2. The upper tube is also angled upwards and offset from the vertically upward direction of the air bladders inside the specially designed floating bags a1 and b2, allowing the high-density liquid to flow out quickly. The lower tube contains a chemical agent that generates bubbles upon contact with water, pushing the metal plate upwards. Therefore, once localized infiltration occurs, seawater enters the spiked tube 4. The chemical agent (such as calcium oxide) inside the spiked tube 4 generates bubbles upon contact with water, thus pushing the metal plate upwards, causing the spikes to pierce the specially designed floating bags a1 and b2. A series of spiked tubes 4 automatically pierce the specially designed floating bags a1 and b2 covering that section of the cable, achieving the purpose of pulling the cable out of the tunnel.

[0029] The large damage mode is similar to the local infiltration mode. A sufficient number of specially designed flotation packs a1 and b2 have their outer layers damaged. The former floats upward and reduces the total mass, while the latter generates enough buoyancy to pull the submarine cable away from the tunnel.

[0030] Reference Figure 4A rotating wheel 6 is designed at the bottom of the submarine cable. By positioning the rotating wheel 6 in an S-shape, the submarine cable is laid in an S-shaped path. The rotating wheel 6 is designed as a fixed-direction paddle structure, which is pressed under the submarine cable using a spring-loaded mechanism. Once the submarine cable is raised and leaves the tunnel, it slides in a fixed direction, i.e., towards the apex of the S-shape. In this way, repair personnel do not need to carry new submarine cables; they only need to cut the damaged section, which greatly saves repair time and strives to restore submarine cable communication in the shortest possible time.

[0031] The key to this invention lies in its comprehensive approach to addressing the difficulties in repairing and locating submarine cables. It incorporates communication technology to assist in positioning and further proposes a novel mechanical architecture with innovative design, comprehensively considering and responding to various underwater accident scenarios. Finally, from an application perspective, this invention is more intelligent and convenient than existing submarine cable protection devices, with clearly defined operating parameters and faster repair speed, making it suitable for widespread application in deep-sea cable construction systems.

Claims

1. A submarine cable device that is easy to maintain, characterized in that, The system includes specially designed floating packs a and b, a protective outer shell, spiked tubes, a signal transceiver unit, and a rotating wheel. The rotating wheel is designed as a directional paddle structure, spring-loaded and pressed beneath the submarine cable. The submarine cable is laid in an S-shape; once the cable rises and leaves the tunnel, the rotating wheel slides in a fixed direction, i.e., towards the apex of the S-shape. The protective outer shell encircles the submarine cable in a ring shape, with the spiked tube embedded and fixed to its exterior. Specially designed floating packs a and b are filled with high-density liquid and also contain low-density gas bladders. They are laid alternately on top of the protective outer shell. Specially designed floating pack b is connected to the protective outer shell. The spiked tube is used to puncture specially designed floating packs a and b after seawater penetrates the submarine cable, thereby causing the cable to rise and leave the tunnel. The signal transceiver unit transmits the location of the cable damage to rescue and repair equipment. The spiked tube penetrates the protective shell. The spiked tube includes an upper tube and a lower tube, which are separated by a movable metal plate. The upper end of the metal plate is embedded with spikes. The lower cylinder contains a chemical agent that produces bubbles when it comes into contact with water. When it comes into contact with water, it pushes the metal sheet upward, thereby causing the spikes to puncture the specially designed floating bags a and b.

2. The easy-to-maintain submarine cable device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The signal transceiver unit includes a radio frequency signal transmitter, a radio frequency signal receiver, an acoustic wave signal transmitter, and an acoustic wave signal receiver; the radio frequency signal transmitter and the acoustic wave signal transmitter are respectively numbered. The radio frequency signal transmitter is located in a specially designed floating pack a and is bound to an airbag in the specially designed floating pack a. When the specially designed floating pack a floats out of the sea, it will activate the radio frequency signal receiver which is in a dormant state. The radio frequency signal receiver receives the signal emitted by the radio frequency signal transmitter and transmits the number of the radio frequency signal transmitter to the rescue and repair equipment. The acoustic signal transmitter is housed in a specially designed floating pack b and is attached to an air bladder inside the floating pack b. The air bladder of the floating pack b is connected to the protective shell via a connecting rope, which can cause the submarine cable to float. When the air bladder of the floating pack b is suspended in the seawater, the acoustic signal transmitter is activated. The acoustic signal receiver receives the signal emitted by the acoustic signal transmitter and provides the rescue and repair equipment with the number of the acoustic signal transmitter.

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