An adaptive communication buoy

Abstract

The application relates to a self-adaptive communication buoy, which comprises a buoy body, a positioning communication device, a fastener, a water-tight connector, a cable and a self-adjusting cable reel, the buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure, the upper end of the lower structure is fixedly connected with the lower end of the upper structure through the fastener and is combined to form a closed space; the positioning communication device is arranged on the upper half of the closed space, the water-tight connector is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure and is connected with the positioning communication device through a communication cable, and the self-adjusting cable reel is fixed in the lower structure; the cable is wound on the self-adjusting cable reel, one end of the cable extends out of the lower structure and is used for connecting underwater equipment, the other end of the cable is connected with the positioning communication device through the water-tight connector, and according to the tension of the extending end of the cable, the self-adjusting cable reel can automatically wind and unwind the cable. The length of the wound and unwound cable is adjusted to adapt to the complex and changeable marine environment.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of communication buoys, in particular to a self-adaptive communication buoy. BACKGROUND

[0002] As a common structure on the sea, the buoy is mainly used for marking the channel, indicating the location of shoals, obstacles and underwater equipment, etc. With the development of science and technology, various devices are usually carried on the buoy to realize the monitoring of various data on the sea and the control of the marine equipment. For example, the device pre-installed underwater usually stays in the water for a long time, and needs to be controlled at any time and the running condition and working environment parameters of the device need to be detected. In the prior art, there are three methods to realize real-time communication with the underwater device: underwater acoustic communication, floating of the reserved communication cable on the water surface and use of the communication buoy. Among them, the underwater acoustic communication has requirements for the water depth of the water area where the device is located, and the effect of the underwater acoustic communication is not ideal for the water area with shallow water depth; when the reserved communication cable is used, a ship needs to be driven to the floating point to pull up the communication cable for communication with the underwater device, which is more troublesome. Therefore, for the communication of the underwater device in the shallow sea, the communication buoy is the most convenient. The buoy is connected with the underwater device by using a water-tight cable, and the communication device is carried on the buoy, so that the remote communication with the underwater device can be realized.

[0003] At present, the communication buoy is connected with the underwater device by using a fixed-length cable. Since there are wind and waves on the sea and the tide rises and falls, if the cable length is short, the buoy may be submerged in the water when the water flow is large or the tide rises, resulting in failure to communicate and indicate the position; if the cable length is too long, the buoy deviates from the horizontal position of the underwater device by a long distance, resulting in poor positioning accuracy, and the situation is more obvious when the tide falls. SUMMARY

[0004] Therefore, the present application provides a self-adaptive communication buoy which adjusts the length of the cable by a pure mechanical way to adapt to the complex and changeable marine environment.

[0005] The present application is realized by the following technical scheme: a self-adaptive communication buoy, comprising a buoy body, a positioning communication device, a fastener, a water-tight connector, a cable and a self-adjusting cable reel, the buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure, the upper end of the lower structure is fixedly connected with the lower end of the upper structure by the fastener and is combined to form a closed space; the positioning communication device is arranged in the upper half of the closed space, the water-tight connector is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure and is connected with the positioning communication device through a communication cable, and the self-adjusting cable reel is fixed inside the lower structure; the cable is wound on the self-adjusting cable reel, one end of the cable extends out of the lower structure for connecting with the underwater device, and the other end of the cable is connected with the positioning communication device through the water-tight connector, and according to the tension of the extended end of the cable, the self-adjusting cable reel can automatically wind and unwind the cable.

[0006] Further, the self-adjusting cable reel comprises a rotating shaft, a rolling bearing, a clockwork spring, a clockwork box, a cable reel, a fixing assembly and an electric slip ring; one end of the rotating shaft is connected with the clockwork box through the rolling bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft is fixedly connected with one end of the cable reel; the fixed end of the clockwork spring is installed in the clockwork box, the rotating end of the clockwork spring is fixedly connected with 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 reel, the electric cable is wound on the cable reel, the extending end of the electric cable passes through the lower end of the lower structure, the other end of the electric cable is connected with the rotor end of the electric slip ring, and the stator end of the electric slip ring is connected with the watertight connector; the clockwork box and the electric slip ring are fixed on the two sides of the lower structure through the fixing assembly, and the rotor end of the electric slip ring, the cable reel and the rotating shaft can rotate coaxially.

[0007] Further, the lower structure is a cylindrical structure with closed two ends, the upper structure is divided into an upper segment and a lower segment, the upper end of the upper segment is closed and the lower end is open, the lower segment is a cylindrical structure with open two ends, the upper end of the lower segment is fixedly connected with the lower end of the upper segment through fasteners, and the positioning communication equipment is fixed on the equipment mounting plate, and the equipment mounting plate is fixed in the upper segment of the upper structure through the hole and the retainer ring.

[0008] Further, the axial lap joint portions and the radial protruding portions are arranged along the circumferences of the lower end of the upper segment of the upper structure and the upper end of the lower structure, the radial protruding portions are arranged along the circumferences of the two ends of the lower segment of the upper structure, the two ends of the lower segment of the upper structure are lap-jointed on the axial lap joint portions of the upper segment of the upper structure and the lower structure respectively, and the radial protruding portions thereof are abutted and fixed together through fasteners.

[0009] Further, the fasteners are circular split rings, and the split rings are internally provided with grooves matched with the protruding portions; the lap joint portions of the axial lap joint portions and the abutted portions of the radial protruding portions are all provided with annular sealing grooves for placing sealing rings.

[0010] Further, the fixing assembly comprises 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 stator of the electric slip ring is fixed on the second mounting plate, the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate are fixedly connected with the fixing plate, and the fixing plate is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure.

[0011] Compared with the prior art, the present application has the following advantages:

[0012] 1. The self-adjusting cable reel is used to adjust the length of the winding and unwinding cable in a pure mechanical mode, to adapt to complex marine environments, to effectively avoid a series of problems caused by too long or too short cable length, and to improve the positioning accuracy of the communication buoy and the reliability of communication.

[0013] 2. The self-adjusting cable reel of the present application rotates, the clockwork spring tightens, the elastic force increases, and the state of equilibrium is reached; when the water flow rate decreases or the clockwork spring returns, the elastic force decreases, the self-adjusting cable reel is retracted, and the state of equilibrium is reached, the whole process is self-adapting to the marine environment without human operation.

[0014] 3. The floating body of the present application is provided with a ring-shaped sealing groove at the lap joint of the axial lap joint part and the abutting part of the radial protrusion part for placing a sealing ring, further ensuring the water tightness of the upper structure of the floating body. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

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

[0016] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the lower structure of the floating body.

[0017] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the self-adjusting cable reel.

[0018] Figure 4 It is a schematic diagram of the first mounting plate.

[0019] Among them, 1 is the upper structure upper section, 2 is the upper structure lower section, 3 is the lower structure, 4 is the snap ring, 5 is the water-tight connector, 6 is the lower housing, 7 is the self-adjusting cable reel, 8 is the bottom end cover, 9 is the first mounting plate, 10 is the clockwork spring, 11 is the clockwork box, 12 is the rolling bearing, 13 is the rotating shaft, 14 is the fixed plate, 15 is the cable, 16 is the cable reel, 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 scheme and advantages of the present application more clear and obvious, the present application is further described in detail below in combination with the drawings and examples. It should be understood that the specific examples described herein are only used to explain the present application and do not limit the present application.

[0021] As shown in Figure 1 The present application provides a self-adapting communication buoy, which comprises a floating body, a positioning communication device, a fastener, a water-tight connector 5, a cable 15 and a self-adjusting cable reel 7, the floating 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 the fastener and encloses to form 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 water-tight connector 5 is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure 3 by a nut and connected with the positioning communication device through a communication cable, the self-adjusting cable reel 7 is fixed inside the lower structure 3, and the cable 15 is wound on the self-adjusting cable reel 7. Figure 2As shown, one end of the cable 15 extends out of the lower structure 3 for connecting the underwater equipment, and the other end of the cable 15 is connected with the positioning communication equipment through the watertight connector 5; according to the size of the external force on the extending end of the cable 15, the self-adjusting cable reel 7 can automatically wind and unwind the cable 15. In the embodiment, the positioning communication equipment is a Beidou communication all-in-one machine 21, which can transmit the position information of the communication buoy in real time, and has the functions of Beidou short message communication and radio communication. 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 application connects the Beidou communication all-in-one machine 21 inside the buoy body and the underwater equipment through the cable 15 on the self-adjusting cable reel 7, so that the data signals between the two can be transmitted to each other. At the same time, the Beidou communication all-in-one machine 21 also has the functions of Beidou short message communication and radio communication, so that people can monitor the working condition and position information of the underwater equipment in real time at the shore base. When it is necessary to control the underwater equipment, control instructions can also be issued at any time at the base.

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

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

[0025] When the tide rises, the buoy body moves upward with the tide water, the cable 15 is connected with the underwater equipment fixed under the water, under the reaction force of the upward movement of the buoy body, the tension of the extension end of the cable 15 becomes larger, the cable 15 drives the cable reel 16 to rotate and pay out the cable, the rotation of the cable reel 16 drives the rotation shaft 13 to rotate, the rotation of the rotation shaft 13 makes the clockwork spring 10 tighten, the tighter the clockwork spring 10 is, the greater the elastic force it generates, and the increase of the elastic force will slow down the paying-out speed of the cable reel 16 through the rotation shaft 13, when the elastic force of the clockwork spring 10 is enough to resist the tension of the extension end of the cable 15, the cable reel 16 stops paying out the cable. When the tension of the extension end of the cable 15 decreases (such as the buoy body moving downward with the ebb tide), the clockwork spring 10 rebounds and drives the rotation shaft 13 to rotate reversely, so that the cable reel 16 retracts, until the elastic force provided by the clockwork spring 10 balances with the tension of the extension end of the cable 15; that is, the length of the extension end of the cable 15 will change adaptively with the rising tide and the ebb tide, to ensure the positioning and communication accuracy. In addition to the above technical solution, the cable paying-out can also be realized by electric control, and a depth sensor and an underwater winch need to be arranged 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 cable paying-out and retraction is controlled according to the water depth data.

[0026] In this embodiment, the lower structure 3 of the buoy body is a closed cylinder structure, which is divided into a lower shell 6 and a bottom end cover 8. The self-adjusting cable reel 7 is installed in 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 segment and a lower segment. The upper end of the upper segment 1 is closed, and the lower end is open. The lower segment 2 of the upper structure is a cylinder structure with both ends open. The upper end of the lower segment 2 is fixed to the lower end of the upper segment 1 by fasteners. The upper end of the lower structure 3 is fixed to the lower end of the lower segment 2 of the upper structure by fasteners. The upper end of the lower structure 3 seals the upper structure to ensure the water tightness of the upper segment structure. The lower segment 2 of the upper structure is hollow and filled with gas to provide buoyancy for the overall communication buoy. In specific implementation, the lower segment 2 of the upper structure can be set to different lengths to provide different buoyancy to further adapt to different marine environments. The positioning communication equipment is fixed on the equipment mounting plate, which is fixed in the upper segment 1 of the upper structure through the hole with a retainer. The positioning communication equipment is connected to the water-tight connector 5 through a communication cable. In this embodiment, the equipment mounting plate is provided with a cylindrical structure which cooperates with the mounting hole in the upper segment 1 of the upper structure and is fixed by using the hole retainer.

[0027] An axial lap joint and a radial protrusion are provided along the circumference of the lower end of the upper segment 1 and the upper end of the lower structure 3. Radial protrusions are provided along the circumference of both ends of the lower segment 2 of the upper structure. The two ends of the lower segment 2 of the upper structure are lapped on the axial lap joints of the upper segment 1 and the lower structure 3, respectively, and the radial protrusions are abutted and fixed together by fasteners. The fastener can be a circular opening snap ring 4, and the inside of the snap ring 4 is provided with a groove matched with the protrusion. The lap joint of the axial lap joint and the abutted part of the radial protrusion are both provided with an annular sealing groove for placing a sealing ring. In other embodiments, the fastener can also be a bolt, which is used to fix the tightly abutted radial protrusions together.

[0028] The self-adjusting cable reel 7 realizes automatic winding and unwinding of the cable to adapt to the complex changes of the marine environment in real time. When the water flow velocity increases or the sea conditions such as high tide occur, the self-adjusting cable reel 7 rotates to unwind the cable, the clockwork spring 10 tightens, the elastic force increases, and the balance state is reached. When the water flow velocity decreases or the sea conditions such as low tide occur, the clockwork spring 10 returns, the elastic force decreases, the self-adjusting cable reel 7 winds up, and the balance state is reached. This way can effectively avoid a series of problems caused by too long or too short cable length, and improve the positioning accuracy and communication reliability of the communication buoy.

[0029] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Any modification, equivalent replacement and improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present application shall be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An adaptive communication buoy, characterized by, The buoy body is composed of an upper structure and a lower structure, the upper end of the lower structure is fixedly connected with the lower end of the upper structure by a fastener and encloses a closed space; the positioning and communication device is arranged in the upper half of the closed space, the watertight connector is fixed to the upper end of the lower structure and connected with the positioning and communication device through a communication cable, and the self-adjusting cable reel is fixed inside the lower structure; the cable is wound on the self-adjusting cable reel, one end of the cable extends out of the lower structure for connecting an underwater device, the other end of the cable is connected with the positioning and communication device through the watertight connector, and according to the tension of the extending end of the cable, the self-adjusting cable reel can automatically wind and unwind the cable; The self-adjusting cable reel comprises a rotating shaft, a rolling bearing, a clockwork spring, a clockwork box, a cable reel, a fixing assembly and an electric slip ring; one end of the rotating shaft is connected with the clockwork box through the rolling bearing, and the other end of the rotating shaft is fixedly connected with one end of the cable reel; the fixed end of the clockwork spring is arranged in the clockwork box, the rotating end of the clockwork spring is fixedly connected with the rotating shaft, and the clockwork spring and the rotating shaft are coaxial; the electric slip ring is arranged at the other end of the cable reel, the cable is wound on the cable reel, the extending end of the cable passes through the lower end of the lower structure, the other end of the cable is connected with the rotor end of the electric slip ring, and the stator end of the electric slip ring is connected with the watertight connector; the clockwork box and the electric slip ring are fixed on the two sides of the lower structure through the fixing assembly, and the rotor end of the electric slip ring, the cable reel and the rotating shaft can rotate coaxially; The lower structure is a cylindrical structure with closed ends, the upper structure is divided into an upper segment and a lower segment, the upper end of the upper segment is closed and the lower end is open, the lower segment is a cylindrical structure with open ends, the upper end of the lower segment is fixedly connected with the lower end of the upper segment through a fastener, the positioning and communication device is fixed on a device mounting plate, and the device mounting plate is fixed in the upper segment of the upper structure through a hole by a check ring; Axial lap joints and radial protrusions are arranged along the circumferences of the lower end of the upper segment and the upper end of the lower structure, radial protrusions are arranged along the circumferences of the two ends of the lower segment, the two ends of the lower segment are lap-jointed on the axial lap joints of the upper segment and the lower structure respectively, and the radial protrusions are abutted and fixed together by the fastener; The fastener is a circular split ring, and a groove matched with the protrusion is arranged in the split ring; the lap joint of the axial lap joint and the abutment of the radial protrusion are both provided with annular sealing grooves for placing sealing rings.

2. The self-adapting communication buoy of claim 1, wherein, The fixing assembly comprises 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 stator of the electric slip ring is fixed on the second mounting plate, the first mounting plate and the second mounting plate are fixedly connected with the fixing plate, and the fixing plate is fixed on the upper end of the lower structure.

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