Self-adaptive communication buoy

Abstract

The invention relates to a self-adaptive communication buoy which comprises a buoy body, a positioning communication device, a fastener, a watertight connector, a cable and a self-adjusting cable reel, the buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure, and the upper end of the lower structure and the lower end of the upper structure are fixedly connected through the fastener and define a closed space; the positioning communication equipment is arranged at the upper half part of the closed space, the watertight connector is fixed at the upper end of the lower structure and connected with the positioning communication equipment through a communication cable, and the self-adjusting cable reel is fixed in the lower structure; a cable is wound on the self-adjusting cable reel, one end of the cable extends out of the lower structure and is used for being connected with underwater equipment, the other end of the cable is connected with positioning communication equipment through a watertight connector, and the self-adjusting cable reel can automatically take up and pay off the cable according to the tensile force of the extending end of the cable. According to the invention, the cable can be self-adapted to a complex and changeable marine environment by adjusting the length of the retractable cable.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of communication buoys, and in particular to an adaptive communication buoy. Background Art

[0002] As a commonly used structure at sea, buoys are mainly used to mark waterways, indicate shoals, obstacles and underwater equipment locations. With the development of science and technology, various types of equipment are usually carried in buoys to monitor various data at sea and control offshore equipment. For example, equipment pre-installed underwater is generally located in the water for a long time, and it is necessary to be able to control it at any time and detect the equipment operation status, working environment parameters, etc. Under the existing technology, there are three ways to communicate with underwater equipment in real time: hydroacoustic communication, floating a reserved communication cable on the water surface, and using a communication buoy. Among them, hydroacoustic communication has requirements for the water depth of the water area where the equipment is located. For water areas with shallow water depth, the effect of using hydroacoustic communication is not ideal; when using a reserved communication cable floating on the water, when communicating with underwater equipment, people need to drive a boat to the floating point to pick up the communication cable, which is more troublesome. Therefore, for the communication of underwater equipment in shallow waters, it is most convenient to use a communication buoy. The buoy and the underwater equipment are connected by a watertight cable, and the communication equipment is carried in the buoy, so that long-distance communication with the underwater equipment can be achieved.

[0003] Currently, communication buoys and underwater equipment are connected by fixed-length cables. Due to wind and waves and rising and falling tides at sea, if the cable is short and encounters strong currents or high tides, the buoy may be submerged in water, resulting in inability to communicate and indicate position; if the cable is too long, the buoy will deviate far from the horizontal position of the underwater equipment, resulting in poor positioning accuracy, which is more obvious at low tide. Summary of the invention

[0004] In view of this, the present invention provides an adaptive communication buoy, which adjusts the length of the retractable cable in a purely mechanical way to adapt to the complex and changeable marine environment.

[0005] The present invention is achieved through the following technical solutions: an adaptive communication buoy, including a buoy body, a positioning communication device, a fastener, a watertight connector, a cable and a self-adjusting cable drum, the buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure, the upper end of the lower structure and the lower end of the upper structure are fixedly connected by fasteners and enclosed to form a closed space; the positioning communication device is arranged in the upper half of the closed space, the watertight connector is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure and connected to the positioning communication device through a communication cable, and the self-adjusting cable drum is fixed inside the lower structure; the cable is wound on the self-adjusting cable drum, one end of the cable extends out of the lower structure for connecting to the underwater equipment, and the other end of the cable is connected to the positioning communication device through a watertight connector, and the self-adjusting cable drum can automatically retract and release the cable according to the size of the tension on the extended end of the cable.

[0006] Furthermore, the self-adjusting cable drum comprises a rotating shaft, a rolling bearing, a clockwork spring, a clockwork box, a cable drum, a fixing assembly and an electric slip ring; one end of the rotating shaft is connected to the clockwork box through a rolling bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to one end of the cable drum; the fixed end of the clockwork spring is installed in the clockwork box, the rotating end of the clockwork spring is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft, and the clockwork spring and the rotating shaft are coaxial; the electric slip ring is located at the other end of the cable drum, the cable is wound on the cable drum, the protruding end of the cable passes through the lower end of the lower structure, the other end of the cable is connected to the rotor end of the electric slip ring, and the stator end of the electric slip ring is connected to a watertight connector; the clockwork box and the electric slip ring are fixed to both sides of the lower structure through fixing assemblies respectively, and the rotor end of the electric slip ring, the cable drum and the rotating shaft can rotate coaxially.

[0007] Furthermore, the lower structure is a cylindrical structure with both ends closed, and the upper structure is divided into an upper section and a lower section. The upper end of the upper section is closed and the lower end is open, and the lower section is a cylindrical structure with both ends open. The upper end of the lower section is fixedly connected to the lower end of the upper section by fasteners, and the positioning communication equipment is fixed on the equipment mounting plate, and the equipment mounting plate is fixed in the upper section of the upper structure by a retaining ring through a hole.

[0008] Furthermore, axial overlapping portions and radial protrusions are provided along the circumference of the lower end of the upper section of the upper structure and the upper end of the lower structure, and radial protrusions are provided along the circumference of both ends of the lower section of the upper structure. The two ends of the lower section of the upper structure are respectively overlapped on the axial overlapping portions of the upper section of the upper structure and the lower structure, and the radial protrusions thereof are abutted against each other and fixed together by fasteners.

[0009] Furthermore, the fastener is a circular open clamping ring, and a groove matching the protrusion is provided inside the clamping ring; the overlapping part of the axial overlapping part and the abutment part of the radial protrusion are both provided with an annular sealing groove for accommodating a sealing ring.

[0010] Furthermore, the fixing assembly includes a first mounting plate, a second mounting plate and a fixing plate, the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate are parallel, the fixing plate is arranged between the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate, the mainspring box is fixed on the first mounting plate, the electric slip ring stator is fixed on the second mounting plate, the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate are both fixedly connected to the fixing plate, and the fixing plate is fixed to the upper end of the lower structure.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects:

[0012] 1. The present invention uses a self-adjusting cable drum to adjust the length of the retracted and released cable in a purely mechanical manner, adapts to complex marine environments, effectively avoids a series of problems caused by the cable being too long or too short, and improves the positioning accuracy of the communication buoy and the reliability of communication.

[0013] 2. The self-adjusting cable drum of the present invention rotates to release the cable, the clockwork spring is tightened, and the elastic force increases until it reaches a balanced state; when the water flow rate decreases or the tide ebbs, the clockwork spring recovers, the elastic force decreases, and the self-adjusting cable drum is retracted until it reaches a balanced state. The whole process adapts to the marine environment without human operation.

[0014] 3. The buoy body of the present invention is provided with annular sealing grooves at the overlapping parts of the axial overlapping parts and the abutting parts of the radial protruding parts for placing sealing rings, thereby further ensuring the water tightness of the upper structure of the buoy body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the communication buoy.

[0016] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the lower structure of the buoy body.

[0017] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a self-adjusting cable drum.

[0018] Figure 4 Schematic diagram of the first mounting plate.

[0019] Among them, 1 is the upper section of the upper structure, 2 is the lower section of the upper structure, 3 is the lower structure, 4 is the retaining ring, 5 is the watertight connector, 6 is the lower shell, 7 is the self-adjusting cable drum, 8 is the bottom end cover, 9 is the first mounting plate, 10 is the spring, 11 is the spring box, 12 is the rolling bearing, 13 is the rotating shaft, 14 is the fixed plate, 15 is the cable, 16 is the cable drum, 17 is the electric slip ring, 18 is the second mounting plate, 19 is the electric slip ring rotor, 20 is the electric slip ring stator, and 21 is the Beidou communication integrated machine. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0020] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present invention and are not used to limit the present invention.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an adaptive communication buoy, which includes a buoy body, a positioning communication device, a fastener, a watertight connector 5, a cable 15 and a self-adjusting cable drum 7. The buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure 3. The upper end of the lower structure 3 is fixedly connected with the lower end of the upper structure by fasteners and encloses a closed space; the positioning communication device is arranged in the upper half of the closed space, and the closed space can be used to provide buoyancy; the watertight connector 5 is fixed to the upper end of the lower structure 3 by a nut and connected to the positioning communication device by a communication cable, the self-adjusting cable drum 7 is fixed inside the lower structure 3, and the cable 15 is wound around the self-adjusting cable drum 7, as shown in FIG. Figure 2As shown, one end of the cable 15 extends out of the lower structure 3 for connecting to underwater equipment, and the other end of the cable 15 is connected to the positioning communication equipment through a watertight connector 5; according to the magnitude of the external force on the extended end of the cable 15, the self-adjusting cable drum 7 can automatically retract and release the cable 15. In this embodiment, the positioning communication equipment is a Beidou communication integrated machine 21, which can transmit the location information of the communication buoy in real time, and has Beidou short message communication and radio communication functions. In other embodiments, the positioning communication equipment can also use a radio device with positioning and communication functions.

[0022] The communication buoy of the present invention connects the Beidou communication integrated machine 21 and the underwater equipment inside the buoy body through the cable 15 on the self-adjusting cable drum 7, so that the data signals between the two can be transmitted to each other. At the same time, the Beidou communication integrated machine 21 also has Beidou short message communication and radio communication functions, so that people can monitor the working conditions and location information of the underwater equipment in real time in the shore base. When it is necessary to control the underwater equipment, control instructions can also be issued at any time in the base.

[0023] like Figure 3 As shown, the self-adjusting cable drum 7 includes a rotating shaft 13, a rolling bearing 12, a clockwork spring 10, a clockwork box 11, a cable drum 16, a fixing assembly and an electric slip ring 17. One end of the rotating shaft 13 is connected to the clockwork box 11 through the rolling bearing 12, and a rotary dynamic seal is provided between the rotating shaft 13 and the rolling bearing 12; the other end of the rotating shaft 13 is fixedly connected to one end of the cable drum 16; the fixed end of the clockwork spring 10 is installed in the clockwork box 11, the rotating end of the clockwork spring 10 is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft 13, and the clockwork spring 10 and the rotating shaft 13 are coaxial; the electric slip ring 17 is located at the other end of the cable drum 16, the cable 15 is wound around the cable drum 16, and the electric slip ring 17 is located at the other end of the cable drum 16. The extended end of the cable 15 is led out through the opening at the lower end of the lower structure 3 and connected to the underwater equipment. The other end of the cable 15 is connected to the electric slip ring rotor 19 through the opening in the cable drum 16. The outlet line of the electric slip ring stator 20 is connected to the watertight connector 5 and then connected to the Beidou communication integrated machine 21; the clockwork box 11 and the electric slip ring 17 are fixed on both sides of the lower structure 3 through a fixing component, and the electric slip ring rotor 19, the cable drum 16 and the rotating shaft 13 can rotate coaxially. When the cable drum 16 rotates, the end of the cable 15 connected to the electric slip ring rotor 19 will rotate with the cable drum 16, and the electric slip ring rotor 19 will also rotate together, and the electric slip ring stator 20 is fixed.

[0024] In this embodiment, Figure 4As shown, the fixing assembly includes a first mounting plate 9, a second mounting plate 18 and a fixing plate 14, the clockwork box 11 is fixed to the first mounting plate 9 by screws, the electric slip ring stator 20 is fixed to the second mounting plate 18 by screws, the first mounting plate 9 and the second mounting plate 18 are parallel, the fixing plate 14 is arranged between the first mounting plate 9 and the second mounting plate 18, the first mounting plate 9 and the second mounting plate 18 are both fixed to the fixing plate 14 by screws, and the fixing plate 14 is fixed to the upper end of the lower structure 3 of the buoy body by screws.

[0025] When the tide rises, the buoy body moves upward with the tide, and the cable 15 is connected to the underwater equipment fixed underwater. Under the reaction force of the upward movement of the buoy body, the tension on the protruding end of the cable 15 becomes greater, and the cable 15 drives the cable drum 16 to rotate and release the cable. The rotation of the cable drum 16 drives the rotating shaft 13 to rotate, and the rotation of the rotating shaft 13 tightens the clockwork spring 10. The tighter the clockwork spring 10 is, the greater the elastic force it generates. The increase in elastic force will slow down the cable releasing speed of the cable drum 16 through the rotating shaft 13. When the elastic force of the clockwork spring 10 is sufficient to resist the tension on the protruding end of the cable 15, the cable drum 16 stops releasing the cable. When the tension on the extended end of the cable 15 decreases (such as the buoy body moves downward with the tide at low tide), the spring spring 10 rebounds, driving the rotating shaft 13 to rotate in the opposite direction, so that the cable drum 16 is retracted until the elastic force provided by the spring spring 10 is balanced with the tension on the extended end of the cable 15; that is, the length of the extended end of the cable 15 will change adaptively with the tide, ensuring the accuracy of positioning and communication. In addition to the above technical solutions, it can also be achieved by electrically controlling the cable release, which requires the installation of a depth sensor and an underwater winch in the underwater equipment. The real-time water depth data is read by the depth sensor and fed back to the underwater winch controller, and the length of the winch cable is controlled according to the water depth data.

[0026] In this embodiment, the lower structure 3 of the buoy body is a cylindrical structure with closed ends. The cylindrical structure is divided into a lower shell 6 and a bottom end cover 8. The self-adjusting cable drum 7 is installed into the lower structure 3 from the lower end of the lower shell 6, and the bottom end cover 8 is fixed to the lower shell 6 by screws. The upper structure of the buoy body is divided into an upper section and a lower section. The upper section 1 of the upper structure is closed at the upper end and open at the lower end. The lower section 2 of the upper structure is a cylindrical structure with open ends. The upper end of the lower section 2 of the upper structure is fixed to the lower end of the upper section 1 of the upper structure by fasteners. The upper end of the lower structure 3 is fixed to the lower end of the lower section 2 of the upper structure by fasteners. The upper end of the lower structure 3 seals the upper structure to ensure the watertightness of the upper section structure. The lower section 2 of the upper structure is hollow and filled with gas to provide buoyancy for the entire communication buoy. In specific implementation, the lower section 2 of the upper structure can be set to different lengths to provide different buoyancy sizes according to specific usage conditions to further adapt to different marine environments. The positioning communication device is fixed on the device mounting plate, and the device mounting plate is fixed in the upper section 1 of the superstructure through a retaining ring through a hole, and the positioning communication device is provided with a communication cable connected to a watertight connector 5. In this embodiment, the device mounting plate is provided with a columnar structure that cooperates with the mounting hole in the upper section 1 of the superstructure and is fixed using a retaining ring through a hole.

[0027] An axial overlap portion and a radial protrusion are provided along the circumference of the lower end of the upper section 1 of the upper structure and the upper end of the lower structure 3, and a radial protrusion is provided along the circumference of both ends of the lower section 2 of the upper structure. The two ends of the lower section 2 of the upper structure are overlapped on the axial overlap portions of the upper section 1 of the upper structure and the lower structure 3, respectively, and the radial protrusions thereof abut against each other and are fixed together by fasteners. The fastener may be a circular opening retaining ring 4, and a groove matching the protrusion is provided inside the retaining ring 4; an annular sealing groove is provided at the overlap of the axial overlap portion and the abutment of the radial protrusion for placing a sealing ring. In other embodiments, the fastener may also be a bolt, and the tightly abutting radial protrusions are fixed together by bolts.

[0028] The present invention realizes automatic cable retraction and release through the self-adjusting cable drum 7 to adapt to the complex changes in the marine environment in real time. When the water flow velocity increases or the sea conditions such as high tide, the self-adjusting cable drum 7 rotates to release the cable, the spring spring 10 tightens, and the elastic force increases until the equilibrium state; when the water flow velocity decreases or the tide ebbs, the spring spring 10 recovers, the elastic force decreases, and the self-adjusting cable drum 7 retracts until the equilibrium state. This method can effectively avoid a series of problems caused by the cable length being too long or too short, and improves the positioning accuracy of the communication buoy and the reliability of communication.

[0029] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions and improvements made within the spirit and principles of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An adaptive communication buoy, characterized in that: It includes a buoy body, positioning and communication equipment, fasteners, a watertight connector, a cable and a self-adjusting cable drum. The buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure. The upper end of the lower structure is fixedly connected to the lower end of the upper structure by fasteners and encloses a closed space. The positioning and communication equipment is arranged in the upper half of the closed space, the watertight connector is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure and connected to the positioning and communication equipment through a communication cable, and the self-adjusting cable drum is fixed inside the lower structure. The cable is wound around the self-adjusting cable drum, one end of the cable extends out of the lower structure for connecting to underwater equipment, and the other end of the cable is connected to the positioning and communication equipment through a watertight connector. According to the size of the tension on the extended end of the cable, the self-adjusting cable drum can automatically retract and release the cable.

2. The adaptive communication buoy according to claim 1, characterized in that: The self-adjusting cable drum comprises a rotating shaft, a rolling bearing, a clockwork spring, a clockwork box, a cable drum, a fixing assembly and an electric slip ring; one end of the rotating shaft is connected to the clockwork box through a rolling bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft is fixedly connected to one end of the cable drum; the fixed end of the clockwork spring is installed in the clockwork box, the rotating end of the clockwork spring is fixedly connected to the rotating shaft, and the clockwork spring and the rotating shaft are coaxial; the electric slip ring is located at the other end of the cable drum, the cable is wound on the cable drum, the extended end of the cable passes through the lower end of the lower structure, the other end of the cable is connected to the rotor end of the electric slip ring, and the stator end of the electric slip ring is connected to a watertight connector; the clockwork box and the electric slip ring are fixed to both sides of the lower structure through fixing assemblies respectively, and the rotor end of the electric slip ring, the cable drum and the rotating shaft can rotate coaxially.

3. The adaptive communication buoy according to claim 2, characterized in that: The lower structure is a cylindrical structure with both ends closed, and the upper structure is divided into an upper section and a lower section. The upper end of the upper section is closed and the lower end is open, and the lower section is a cylindrical structure with both ends open. The upper end of the lower section is fixedly connected to the lower end of the upper section by fasteners, and the positioning communication equipment is fixed on the equipment mounting plate, and the equipment mounting plate is fixed in the upper section of the upper structure by a retaining ring through the hole.

4. The adaptive communication buoy according to claim 3, characterized in that: Axial overlapping portions and radial protrusions are provided along the circumference of the lower end of the upper section of the upper structure and the upper end of the lower structure, and radial protrusions are provided along the circumference of both ends of the lower section of the upper structure. The two ends of the lower section of the upper structure are respectively overlapped on the axial overlapping portions of the upper section of the upper structure and the lower structure, and the radial protrusions thereof are abutted against each other and fixed together by fasteners.

5. The adaptive communication buoy according to claim 4, characterized in that: The fastener is a circular open clamp ring, and a groove matching the protrusion is provided inside the clamp ring; the overlapping part of the axial overlapping part and the abutment part of the radial protrusion are both provided with an annular sealing groove for accommodating a sealing ring.

6. The adaptive communication buoy according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The fixing assembly includes a first mounting plate, a second mounting plate and a fixing plate. The first mounting plate and the second mounting plate are parallel. The fixing plate is arranged between the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate. The clockwork box is fixed on the first mounting plate, the electric slip ring stator is fixed on the second mounting plate, the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate are both fixedly connected to the fixing plate, and the fixing plate is fixed to the upper end of the lower structure.

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