A method of passing a ship through a lock

Abstract

The present application provides a ship lock method, which combines multiple ships in an array, connects through combined array towboats, forms a ship tow array, and then performs overall high-efficiency towing through the lock; changes the existing low-efficiency lock method of entering, moving, and exiting each lock chamber one by one, greatly improves the lock efficiency without changing the structure of the ship lock, uses the control terminal to control the multiple combined array towboats to tow the ship tow array, improves the automation and intelligence of the lock, and realizes accurate control of the output power and rotation angle of the full-rotation rudder of each combined array towboat; and has the advantages of simple structure, low maintenance cost, short maintenance time, low difficulty, and no influence on the overall lock efficiency of the ship tow array.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of ship auxiliary lock passing, and more particularly to a ship lock passing method. BACKGROUND

[0002] The ship lock is a kind of compartmentalized hydraulic structure used to ensure the smooth passing of ships and to concentrate the water level difference on the navigation channel. It is a kind of "navigation structure". Due to the regulation of flow, channelization of navigation and the limitation of terrain conditions and water surface slope on the canal, it is necessary to have a ladder-shaped longitudinal section to form a concentrated water surface fall. Therefore, special navigation structures must be used to enable ships to pass through the fall directly. The most commonly used modern navigation structure is the ship lock, which is a compartmentalized room for parking ships (or fleets). By filling or draining water in the room, the water level in the room is adjusted to enable the ships to vertically ascend or descend between the upstream and downstream water levels, thereby passing through the concentrated water level difference of the navigation channel. Specifically, the ship lock is composed of a lock head with gates and valves, a lock chamber for placing ships, an upstream and downstream approach channel for guiding ships into the lock chamber, a water delivery system for filling and draining water in the lock chamber, and a gate and valve opening and closing mechanism and control system. The procedure for a ship to travel from the downstream approach channel to the upstream approach channel through the ship lock is to use the water delivery system to make the water level in the room equal to the water level in the downstream approach channel, open the lower lock head gate, drive the ship into the lock chamber, close the lower lock head gate, fill water in the lock chamber to the water level equal to that in the upstream approach channel, open the upper lock head gate, and drive the ship into the upstream approach channel. The procedure for a ship to travel from the upstream approach channel to the downstream approach channel is the reverse of the above procedure.

[0003] Taking the Three Gorges ship lock as an example, the Three Gorges double-line five-stage ship lock has a total length of 6.4 kilometers, of which the main part of the ship lock is 1.6 kilometers and the approach channel is 4.8 kilometers. The normal impoundment level of the Three Gorges Dam is 175 meters above sea level, while the lowest navigation level downstream of the dam is 62 meters above sea level, which means that the ship lock has a fall of 113 meters between the upper and lower levels, and the ship has to climb the height of 40 floors. According to the Three Gorges Navigation Administration, the passenger and cargo throughput of the Three Gorges ship lock reached 119.6 million tons in 2015, an increase of about 300,000 tons over 2014, setting a new record, of which the cargo throughput was 110.6 million tons, and the passenger throughput was equivalent to 9 million tons. In addition, in order to ensure the safety of the ship lock and the ship, according to the design requirements of the Three Gorges ship lock and the relevant navigation management regulations, the speed of the ship entering the Three Gorges ship lock should not exceed 1 m / s, the speed of the ship leaving the Three Gorges ship lock should not exceed 1.4 m / s, and the speed of the ship moving between the lock chambers of the Three Gorges ship lock should not exceed 0.6 m / s. Although the above-mentioned regulations can ensure the safe operation of the Three Gorges ship lock to a certain extent, they seriously restrict the navigation capacity of the Three Gorges ship lock, and with the increasing passenger and cargo throughput of the Three Gorges ship lock year by year, the above-mentioned problems are becoming increasingly prominent.

[0004] Specifically, when multiple ships enter, exit and move between the lock chambers of the ship lock, they need to enter, move and exit each lock chamber one by one in sequence. For example, assuming that each ship takes a time a to enter the lock chamber, a time b to exit the lock chamber, and that the lock chamber can accommodate a total of eight ships at a time, the total time for entering the lock chamber is at least 4a, and the total time for exiting the lock chamber is at least 4b; for example, the Three Gorges ship lock has five levels of ship locks, and four times of moving between the ship locks are required, assuming that each ship takes a time c to move between each lock chamber, then four ships take a total of 16c of moving time, and the total time T of the four ships passing through the ship lock is at least 4a+16c+4b, and since the relevant navigation management measures limit the speed, the values of each parameter a, b and c are dozens of minutes or even hours, so the total time T of passing through the ship lock is very long, but the economic development leads to an increasing number of ships passing through the ship lock, so many ships need to queue for several days or even more than half a month to pass through the ship lock, and the ships can only wait in place during this period, greatly increasing the time of a single voyage of the ships, which not only seriously reduces the economy of shipping companies, but also hinders the economic and social development. Therefore, an efficient ship auxiliary passing method is needed to further improve the passing efficiency of the ships and improve the navigation efficiency and carrying capacity of the large ship lock. SUMMARY

[0005] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the present application provides a ship passing method, which specifically adopts the following steps:

[0006] S1, arranging 2N ships to be passed through the lock in the same direction and side by side to form a ship array of m rows and n columns; wherein 2N=m*n, and N, m and n are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2;

[0007] S2, connecting (m+1)*(n-1) combined array towing ships with the ship array formed by the ships to be passed through the lock, thereby forming a ship towing array; wherein the combined array towing ship has at least two full-rotation rudders and at least two mooring bitts; the combined array towing ship also has a visual detection module, a satellite positioning module, a data instruction sending and receiving module; the combined array towing ship detects the surrounding environmental data through the visual detection module and obtains real-time position coordinate data through the satellite positioning module; this step S2 specifically includes the following steps S21 to S23:

[0008] S21, connecting the bow of each of two adjacent ships in the first row of the ship array of m rows and n columns to a mooring bitt of a combined array towing ship through a rope;

[0009] S22, the bow of the two adjacent ships in the mth row of the m rows and n columns of ship array and the stern of the two adjacent ships in the (m-1)th row corresponding to the bow are connected to the bitt of a combined array tugboat through a cable respectively;

[0010] S23, the stern of the two adjacent ships in the mth row of the m rows and n columns of ship array are connected to the bitt of a combined array tugboat through a cable respectively;

[0011] S3, the data instruction sending and receiving module of each combined array tugboat sends the environmental data and the position coordinate data to the control terminal; at the same time, the real-time steering data of the full-rotation rudder propeller is sent to the control terminal through the data instruction sending and receiving module; the control terminal sends the steering instruction to the data instruction sending and receiving module through the wireless network, and then the full-rotation rudder propeller of each combined array tugboat moves according to the steering instruction; thereby driving all the combined array tugboats to drive the whole ship array to complete the entering of the lock chamber of the ship lock, the exiting of the lock chamber of the ship lock or the moving between the lock chambers;

[0012] S4, after the whole ship array completes the passing through the ship lock, the connection between all the combined array tugboats and the ship array through the cable is released.

[0013] Preferably, the visual detection module comprises one or more of a camera, a radar and an AIS;

[0014] Preferably, the satellite positioning module is a Beidou satellite positioning system or a GPS satellite positioning system;

[0015] Preferably, the combined array tugboat is an unmanned ship;

[0016] Preferably, the combined array tugboat is a diesel-driven tugboat, a gasoline-driven tugboat or a power battery-driven tugboat.

[0017] The method of the present application is used in actual operation, when the whole ship traction array driven by multiple combined array traction ships is driven into the ship lock, driven out of the ship lock or moved between the lock chambers, the combined array traction ships at each position send the environmental data, position coordinate data and steering data around them to the operation terminal, the operation terminal judges what kind of movement each combined array traction ship at each position needs to make according to all the collected data, and sends the judgment structure to the data instruction sending and receiving module of each combined array traction ship in the form of steering instruction, and then controls the output power and rotation angle of each full-rotation rudder propeller according to the steering instruction, so that the whole ship traction array can move smoothly and pass through the lock; for example, when the ship traction array drives into the ship lock, the combined array traction ships in front pull the ships connected behind to make them advance; when the ship traction array needs to slow down in the ship lock, the combined array traction ships behind pull the ships connected in front to make them slow down; while advancing or slowing down, the full-rotation rudder propellers on the combined array traction ships at each position can automatically adjust the direction to continuously correct the heading, so that the ship traction array can pass through the lock smoothly.

[0018] The present application has the following advantages:

[0019] (1) The present application combines multiple ships in an array and connects them through combined array traction ships to form a ship traction array to pass through the lock as a whole; it changes the previous passing through the lock mode of entering, moving and exiting each lock chamber one by one in sequence, and can greatly improve the passing through the lock efficiency without changing the structure of the ship lock. Taking the passing through the lock process of the five-stage ship lock of the Three Gorges ship lock as an example, the original overall passing through the lock time is 4a+16c+4b, while the current overall passing through the lock time is shortened to a+4c+b, i.e. the passing through the lock time is shortened by about 75%, and the overall passing through the lock efficiency is improved to 4 times of the original; it can greatly reduce the waiting time of the ships waiting to pass through the lock, greatly shorten the time of the ships waiting to pass through the lock, and improve the economic efficiency and shipping efficiency.

[0020] (2) The present application uses the control terminal to control the multiple combined array traction ships to pull the ship traction array, which can improve the automation and intelligence of passing through the lock, realize unified scheduling after the multiple combined array traction ships form a network, and improve the consistency, coordination and safety of the control.

[0021] (3) The combined array traction ship of the present application has high automation and intelligence, and the tonnage of a single ship is small, which can realize accurate control of the output power and rotation angle of the full-rotation rudder propeller of each combined array traction ship; and its structure is simple and the maintenance cost is low; if one of them is found to be broken, it can be replaced directly, the repair time is short and the difficulty is low, which will not affect the overall passing through the lock efficiency of the ship traction array.

[0022] (4) The combined array towing ship of the present application can be driven by diesel or gasoline to realize long-time operation, or can be driven by power battery to improve environmental friendliness and reduce pollution. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the method for a ship to enter the lock chamber in the prior art;

[0024] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the method for a ship to pass through the lock in the present application; EMBODIMENT

[0025] The present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings Figure 1 and Figure 2 and examples.

[0026] In the prior art, when multiple ships enter and exit the ship lock, and when they are moved between the lock chambers, they need to enter, move and exit each level of the lock chamber one by one in sequence. For example, Figure 1 As shown in the schematic diagram of the method for a ship to enter the lock chamber in the prior art, it shows the process of entering the lock chamber of the ship, and takes 8 ships as an example, which are numbered 1-8. When the 1-8 ships need to enter the lock chamber of the ship, they need to enter the corresponding 1-8 berthing positions in the lock chamber one by one in sequence. Similarly, when moving and exiting each level of the lock chamber, they also need to move one by one in sequence.

[0027] As shown in the schematic diagram of the method for a ship to pass through the lock in the present application, it shows the process of entering the lock chamber of the ship, and takes 8 ships as an example, which are numbered 1-8. By arranging a plurality of combined array towing ships C, the method can realize that the 1-8 ships form a ship towing array and then enter the lock chamber of the ship as a whole. Similarly, when moving or exiting each level of the lock chamber, the ship towing array of the 1-8 ships can also move as a whole. Figure 2 Overall, the present application provides a method for a ship to pass through the lock, which specifically adopts the following steps:

[0028] S1, arrange 2N ships to be passed through the lock in m rows and n columns side by side along the same direction, wherein 2N = m x n, and N, m and n are all natural numbers greater than or equal to 2; this step can be performed in the pilot channel, and multiple ship arrays can also be arranged at the same time. At this time, the ships are in the stage of waiting to pass through the lock in advance, and the overall lock time is not wasted.

[0029]

[0030] ​S2, connect the (m+1)×(n-1) combined array towing ships with the ship array composed of the ships to be locked, and further form a ship towing array; wherein the combined array towing ship has at least two full-rotation rudders and at least two mooring bitts; the combined array towing ship also has a visual detection module, a satellite positioning module, a data instruction sending and receiving module; the combined array towing ship detects the surrounding environmental data through the visual detection module and obtains real-time position coordinate data through the satellite positioning module; this step S2 specifically comprises the following steps S21-S23:

[0031] S21, connect the bows of the two adjacent ships in the first row of the m-row n-column ship array with the mooring bitts of a combined array towing ship through ropes respectively;

[0032] S22, connect the bows of the two adjacent ships in the mth row of the m-row n-column ship array and the sterns of the two adjacent ships in the (m-1)th row corresponding to the mth row with the mooring bitts of a combined array towing ship through ropes respectively;

[0033] S23, connect the sterns of the two adjacent ships in the mth row of the m-row n-column ship array with the mooring bitts of a combined array towing ship through ropes respectively;

[0034] It is worth noting that this step S2-S3 can be carried out in the navigation channel, and multiple ship arrays can also be placed and connected with the ship towing array at the same time, at this time the ships to be locked are still in the stage of waiting to lock in advance, and the overall locking time is not wasted;

[0035] S3, the data instruction sending and receiving module of each combined array towing ship sends the environmental data and the position coordinate data to the control terminal; at the same time, the full-rotation rudder sends real-time operation data to the control terminal through the data instruction sending and receiving module; the control terminal sends operation instructions to the data instruction sending and receiving module through wireless network, and then the full-rotation rudder of each combined array towing ship operates according to the operation instructions; so as to drive all combined array towing ships to drive the whole ship towing array to complete entering the lock chamber of the ship lock, leaving the lock chamber of the ship lock or moving between the lock chambers;

[0036] S4, after the whole ship towing array completes the locking, the connection of the ropes between all combined array towing ships and the ship array is released. Similarly, this step is carried out at the side of the channel after the whole ship towing array completes the locking, and will not affect the normal passage of the ship lock.

[0037] Preferably, the visual detection module comprises one or more of a camera, a radar and an AIS;

[0038] Preferably, the satellite positioning module is a Beidou satellite positioning system or a GPS satellite positioning system.

[0039] Preferably, the combined array towboat is an unmanned boat.

[0040] Preferably, the combined array towboat is a diesel-driven towboat, a gasoline-driven towboat, or a power battery-driven towboat.

[0041] In actual use, when the entire ship tow array is driven by a plurality of combined array towboats to enter or exit the ship lock or to move between the lock chambers, the combined array towboats at each position send the environmental data, position coordinate data, and steering data around them to the operation terminal. The operation terminal determines the steering and sailing actions that each combined array towboat at each position needs to perform according to all the collected data, and sends the determined results to the data instruction sending and receiving module of each combined array towboat as steering instructions. Then, each full-rotation rudder propeller is controlled to output power and rotate according to the steering instructions. The entire ship tow array can be moved as a whole and smoothly pass through the lock. For example, when the ship tow array enters the ship lock, the combined array towboats at the front pull the ships connected behind them to make them advance. When the ship tow array needs to slow down in the ship lock, the combined array towboats at the rear pull the ships connected in front of them to make them slow down. While advancing or slowing down, the full-rotation rudder propellers on the combined array towboats at each position can automatically adjust the direction to constantly correct the heading, so that the ship tow array can smoothly pass through the lock.

[0042] The present application combines multiple ships in an array and connects them through combined array towing ships to form a ship towing array whole to pass through the lock; the passing through the lock mode of previously driving, moving and driving out of each lock chamber one by one is changed, and the passing through the lock efficiency can be greatly improved without changing the structure of the ship lock. Taking the passing through the lock process of the five-stage ship lock of the Three Gorges ship lock as an example, the original whole passing through the lock time is 4a+16c+4b, and the present whole passing through the lock time is shortened to a+4c+b, that is, the passing through the lock time is shortened by about 75%, and the whole passing through the lock efficiency is improved to 4 times of the original; the waiting time of the ships waiting to pass through the lock can be greatly reduced, the time of the ships waiting to pass through the lock is greatly shortened, and the economic efficiency and the shipping efficiency are improved. The present application uses the control terminal to control the combined array towing ship to tow the ship towing array, which can improve the automation and intelligence of the passing through the lock, realize the unified scheduling of the multiple combined array towing ships after forming a network, and improve the consistency, coordination and safety of the control. The combined array towing ship has high automation and intelligence, and the tonnage of a single ship is small, so that the output power and the rotation angle of the full-rotation rudder propeller of each combined array towing ship can be accurately controlled; and the structure is simple, and the maintenance cost is low; if one of the ships is found to be broken, it can be directly replaced, the repair time is short, the difficulty is low, and the whole passing through the lock efficiency of the ship towing array will not be affected. The combined array towing ship can be driven by diesel or gasoline to realize long-time operation; or driven by a power battery to improve environmental friendliness and reduce pollution.

[0043] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application, and the protection scope of the present application is not limited to the above-described embodiments. Any technical solutions falling within the concept of the present application shall be considered as falling within the protection scope of the present application. It should be noted that, for ordinary skilled persons in the art, some improvements and decorations without departing from the principles of the present application shall also be considered as falling within the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A method for ships to pass through locks, characterized in that, The specific steps are as follows: S1. Arrange 2N ships waiting to pass through the lock side by side with their bows and sterns in approximately the same direction to form an array of m rows and n columns; where 2N = m × n, and m and n are both natural numbers greater than or equal to 2. S2. Connect (m+1)×(n-1) combined array traction vessels to the vessel array consisting of the vessels waiting to pass through the lock, thereby forming a vessel traction array; wherein, each of the combined array traction vessels has at least two azimuth propellers and at least two mooring bollards; the combined array traction vessel also has a visual detection module, a satellite positioning module, and a data command sending and receiving module; the combined array traction vessel detects surrounding environmental data through the visual detection module and obtains real-time position coordinate data through the satellite positioning module; this step S2 specifically includes the following steps S21 to S23: S21. Connect the bows of two adjacent ships in the first row of the m-row n-column ship array to the mooring bollards of a combined array traction vessel via cables. S22. Connect the bows of two adjacent ships in the m-th row and the sterns of two adjacent ships in the corresponding (m-1)-th row of the m-row n-column ship array to the mooring bollards of a combined array traction vessel via cables. S23. Connect the sterns of two adjacent ships in the m-th row of the m-row n-column ship array to the mooring bollards of a combined array traction vessel via cables. S3. The data command sending and receiving module of each combined array traction vessel sends the environmental data and the position coordinate data to the control terminal; at the same time, the azimuth propeller sends the real-time manipulation data to the control terminal through the data command sending and receiving module; the control terminal sends the manipulation command to the data command sending and receiving module through the wireless network, thereby manipulating the azimuth propeller of each combined array traction vessel to act according to the manipulation command; thereby driving all combined array traction vessels to move as a whole, so as to drive the entire ship traction array to complete entering the lock, exiting the lock, or moving between lock chambers; S4. After the entire ship traction array has passed through the lock, disconnect the cables between all the combined array traction vessels and the ship array.

2. The method for ship passage through a lock according to claim 1, characterized in that: The visual detection module includes one or more of the following: camera, radar, and AIS.

3. The method for ship passage through a lock according to claim 1, characterized in that: The satellite positioning module is either the BeiDou satellite positioning system or the GPS satellite positioning system.

4. A method for ship passage through a lock according to claim 1, characterized in that: The combined array traction vessel is an unmanned vessel.

5. A method for ship passage through a lock according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that: The combined array tractor is a diesel-powered tractor, a gasoline-powered tractor, or a battery-powered tractor.

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