Ship

Abstract

The invention provides a ship capable of improving radar detection performance when a wind propulsion unit is used. A ship (1) is provided with a bow-side radar (40) that is provided on a hull (11) at a position closer to the bow than Magnus rotors (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D) and detects an object. Radar waves of this bow-side radar (40) advance forward of the hull (11) without interfering with Magnus rotors (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D). Therefore, the bow-side radar (40) can detect an object present in front of the hull (11) with high accuracy. In the present embodiment, the bow-side radar (40) on the bow side can cover the portion of the shadow (DE) of the stern-side radars (32, 33) (referring to Fig. 4). As a result, the detection performance of the radar can be improved when the Magnus rotors (10A, 10B, 10C, 10D) are used.

Description

[0001] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-152729 filed on September 20, 2023. The entire contents of the Japanese Patent Application are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The present invention relates to a ship. Background Art

[0003] In conventional ships, an engine room and a bridge are provided at a position further aft than a cargo hold, and a radar is provided on a radar mast above the bridge. Patent document 1 states that in a ship, the sails are all provided to be lower than the radar mast (reference document 1).

[0004] Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2022-175525

[0005] Here, the above-mentioned ship has the following problems: the height of the sail is limited by the radar, so the thrust of the sail is reduced compared to the case without restrictions. On the other hand, if the radar is raised, the clearance height must be changed, which may cause problems such as the route being impossible to navigate. On the other hand, if these restrictions are not set, there is a problem that the detection performance of the radar is reduced. Summary of the invention

[0006] The present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a ship capable of improving the detection performance of a radar when a wind propulsion unit is used.

[0007] The ship according to the present invention comprises: a hull; a wind propulsion unit provided on the hull and propelling the hull using wind power; and a radar provided on the hull at a position closer to the bow side than the wind propulsion unit and detecting an object.

[0008] The ship involved in the present invention has a wind propulsion unit, which is arranged on the hull and uses wind power to propel the hull. Therefore, in the ship, when a radar is arranged on the stern side, the wind propulsion unit and the radar wave sometimes interfere with each other. In contrast, the ship has a radar that is arranged on the hull closer to the bow side than the wind propulsion unit and detects the object. The radar wave of this radar will not interfere with the wind propulsion unit and advances to the front of the hull. Therefore, the radar can detect the object in front of the hull with high accuracy. As a result, the detection performance of the radar can be improved when the wind propulsion unit is used.

[0009] As radars, a first radar and a second radar having a shorter wavelength than the first radar are provided. In this case, at a position closer to the bow side than the wind propulsion unit, the first radar can maintain the ability to detect objects even under adverse conditions, and the second radar can detect objects with high recognition ability and excellent sensitivity. As a result, objects existing in front of the hull can be detected with high accuracy regardless of the distance.

[0010] The wind propulsion unit is a Magnus rotor, and the distance between the Magnus rotor located closest to the bow and the radar can be set to be more than five times the diameter of the mast on which the radar is mounted. In this case, even if the wind is disturbed by the radar, a distance for adjusting the disturbance before the wind hits the Magnus rotor can be ensured. As a result, sufficient propulsion can be generated in the Magnus rotor.

[0011] According to the present invention, there is provided a ship capable of improving the detection performance of a radar when a wind propulsion unit is used. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0012] Figure 1 This is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0013] Figure 2 (a) is a diagram for explaining the principle of the rotary sail, and (b) is a top view of the ship.

[0014] Figure 3 It is a side view of the ship involved in this embodiment.

[0015] Figure 4 It is a top view of the ship involved in this embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5 It is a side view of a ship involved in a modification.

[0017] Figure 6 It is a side view of a ship involved in a modification.

[0018] In the figure: 1-ship, 10-Magnus rotor (wind propulsion unit), 11-hull, 40-bow side radar (radar), 42-first radar, 43-second radar. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0019] In the following description, "front" and "rear" correspond to the traveling direction of the ship, "lateral" corresponds to the left and right (width) direction of the ship, and "up" and "down" correspond to the up and down directions of the ship.

[0020] refer to Figure 1, the basic structure of the ship involved in the embodiment of the present invention is explained. Figure 1 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ship 1 is a ship that transports petroleum liquid cargoes such as crude oil or liquefied gas, such as an oil tanker. In addition, the ship is not limited to an oil tanker, and may be a bulk ship that transports ore or coal, an LNG ship, a car carrier, or other types of ships.

[0021] like Figure 1 As shown, the ship 1 includes a hull 11, a propeller 12, and a plurality of Magnus rotors 10. The hull 11 includes a bow 2, a stern 3, an engine room 4, and a cargo hold 6. An upper deck 19 is provided on the upper portion of the hull 11. The bow 2 is located on the front side of the hull 11. The stern 3 is located on the rear side of the hull 11.

[0022] The bow 2 has, for example, a shape that can reduce the wave-making resistance in a fully loaded draft state. The propeller 12 mechanically generates thrust for the hull 11, and the propeller 12 uses, for example, a propeller. When propulsion is performed, the propeller 12 is disposed at a position lower than the waterline (the surface of the seawater W) of the stern 3. In addition, a rudder 15 for adjusting the traveling direction is also disposed at a position lower than the waterline of the stern 3.

[0023] The engine room 4 is provided at a position adjacent to the bow side of the stern 3. The engine room 4 is a section for arranging the main engine 16 for providing driving force to the propeller 12. A living area 22 and a chimney 23 for exhaust are provided above the engine room 4 on the upper deck 19. The cargo hold 6 is provided between the bow 2 and the engine room 4. The cargo hold 6 is a section for accommodating cargo. The cargo hold 6 adopts a double hull structure of an outer plate 20 and an inner bottom plate 21, thereby being divided into a plurality of cargo spaces 26 and a plurality of ballast tanks 27. The cargo space 26 is loaded with cargo transported by the ship 1. The ballast tank 27 accommodates an amount of ballast water corresponding to the size of the ship, etc., for adjusting the draft, etc.

[0024] The Magnus rotor 10 is a mechanism that generates thrust when receiving wind force. Thus, the Magnus rotor 10 uses wind force to propel the hull 11. One or more (here, four) Magnus rotors 10 are arranged on the upper deck 19 of the hull 11 in the front, rear, left, and right directions. Figure 2 As shown in (a), the Magnus rotor 10 includes a cylindrical rotor sail 31 (main body) extending in the up-down direction and a motor for rotating the rotor sail 31. When the wind WD blows into the rotor sail 31 laterally, the rotation direction of the rotor sail 31 and the direction of the wind WD become opposite to each other on the rear side of the rotor sail 31, while on the front side, the rotation direction of the rotor sail 31 and the direction of the wind WD become the same. As a result, a pressure difference is generated in front and behind the rotor sail 31, thereby generating a thrust PF (Magnus effect) toward the front side. Figure 2As shown in (b) , when the wind WD blows laterally toward the hull 11 , the hull 11 moves forward due to the thrust PF of each Magnus rotor 10 .

[0025] Next, refer to Figure 3 and Figure 4 , the characteristic structure of the ship 1 involved in this embodiment is described in detail. Figure 3 It is a side view of the ship 1 according to this embodiment. Figure 4 1 is a top view of the ship involved in the present embodiment. In addition, in the following description, the front-rear direction of the ship 1 is sometimes referred to as the "front-rear direction D1", and the left-right direction is sometimes referred to as the "left-right direction D2". A center line CL1 in the left-right direction D2 of the hull 11 is set. In the present embodiment, four Magnus rotors 10 are arranged on the center line CL1 at a predetermined interval from each other. When viewed from above, the center of the Magnus rotor 10 is arranged on the center line CL1. In addition, sometimes they are referred to as "Magnus rotor 10A", "Magnus rotor 10B", "Magnus rotor 10C" and "Magnus rotor 10D" in order from the bow side to the stern side.

[0026] like Figure 3 As shown, the ship 1 includes a stern radar 30 installed on the stern side and a bow radar 40 installed on the bow side. The stern radar 30 is a mechanism for detecting an object on the stern side. The stern radar 30 is installed at a position closer to the stern than the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The stern radar 30 includes a mast 35, a first radar 32, and a second radar 33.

[0027] The mast 35 is installed on the upper part of the bridge 34 at the upper end of the living area 22. The mast 35 is a columnar member extending upward from the upper end of the bridge 34.

[0028] The first radar 32 and the second radar 33 are provided on the mast 35. The first radar 32 is provided at a higher position than the second radar 33. The second radar 33 is provided at a midway position in the vertical direction of the mast 35. The first radar 32 is a radar capable of maintaining the ability to detect an object even under adverse conditions. As the first radar 32, an S-band laser radar can be used, but it is not particularly limited. The second radar 33 is a radar having a wavelength shorter than that of the first radar 32 and capable of detecting an object with high recognition ability and excellent sensitivity. As the second radar 33, an X-band laser radar can be used, but it is not particularly limited. The radars 32 and 33 generate radar waves. When an object exists within the detection range, the radar wave collides with the object and is reflected. The radars 32 and 33 receive the reflected waves to detect the existence and distance of the object.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the first radar 32 is disposed at a position lower than the height of the reference line SL that determines the highest position of the permitted clearance height. The clearance height is the distance from the water surface to the highest point in the ship 1. The permitted clearance height is set to a height at which the ship 1 can pass through a place with a height restriction (e.g., under a bridge) on the route of navigation. The upper end of each Magnus rotor 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D is disposed at a position lower than the reference line SL, but the height of the upper end is not particularly limited.

[0030] The bow side radar 40 is a mechanism for detecting an object at the bow side. The bow side radar 40 is provided at a position closer to the bow side than the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The bow side radar 40 includes a mast 41 and a second radar 43 .

[0031] The mast 41 is provided on the upper deck 19 in a region closer to the bow side than the foremost Magnus rotor 10A. The mast 41 is a columnar member extending upward from the upper deck 19.

[0032] The second radar 43 is provided on the mast 41. The second radar 43 is provided near the upper end of the mast 41. As the second radar 43, the same device as the second radar 33 of the stern radar 30 is used. The height position of the second radar 43 of the bow radar 40 is provided at a position lower than the height positions of the first radar 32 and the second radar 33 of the stern radar 30. The height position of the second radar 43 of the bow radar 40 is provided at a position lower than the height position of the upper end of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. Thus, the second radar 43 of the bow radar 40 can avoid interference with the radar waves of the radars 32 and 33 of the stern radar 30. By setting the above structure, the presence or absence of obstacles in front can be monitored by the second radar 43. Moreover, by providing the radars 32 and 33, not only the front of the ship 1 can be detected, but also the side and the oblique front can be detected, so that obstacles can be detected with high accuracy.

[0033] The diameter of the mast 41 is set to "R1". The distance between the foremost Magnus rotor 10A and the second radar 43 of the bow side radar 40 is set to "L1". In this case, the distance L1 can be set to be five times or more of the diameter R1 of the mast 41. In this case, even if the wind is disturbed by the bow side radar 40, a distance for adjusting the disturbance can be ensured before the wind hits the Magnus rotor 10A. As a result, sufficient propulsion can be generated in the Magnus rotor 10A.

[0034] The distance between the last Magnus rotor 10D and the radars 32 and 33 of the stern radar 30 is set to "L2". Although not particularly limited, from the viewpoint of fluid mechanics, the distance L2 can be set to more than five times the diameter R2 of the Magnus rotor 10D due to the influence of the living area and the bridge located at the stern. Alternatively, the Magnus rotor 10D blocks the view of the bridge, so the distance L2 can be ensured to ensure that the blind spot required by the regulations is less than 5 degrees. Although not particularly limited, the distance L2 can be the longer distance of the above two distances. In addition, the diameters of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D can all be the diameter R2, or they can be different from each other.

[0035] Hereinafter, the effects of the ship 1 according to the present embodiment will be described.

[0036] The ship 1 according to the present embodiment includes Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D installed on the hull 11 and used to propel the hull 11 by wind power. In addition, it is assumed that the ship according to the comparative example does not have a radar on the bow side but has radars 32 and 33 installed on the stern. Therefore, in the ship 1, when the radars 32 and 33 are installed on the stern side, the wind propulsion unit and the radar waves may interfere with each other. For example, Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , the radar wave LW2 of the second radar 33 interferes with the last Magnus rotor 10D. Even if the radar wave LW1 of the first radar 32 that is directed obliquely downward passes above the last Magnus rotor 10D, it will interfere with the next Magnus rotor 10C. Figure 4 As shown, among the radar waves of the second radar 33, the radar wave that becomes the boundary with the end on the starboard side of the last Magnus rotor 10D is defined as "RW3", and the radar wave that becomes the boundary with the end on the port side is defined as "RW4". At this time, the area between the radar waves RW3 and RW4 in the front area of ​​the hull 11 becomes the shadow DE through which the radar waves of the second radar 33 do not pass.

[0037] As a ship involved in a comparative example, there is a structure in which the height of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D is limited and reduced so as not to interfere with the radar waves of the radars 32 and 33 on the stern side. In the case of this comparative example, the amount of wind received by the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D is reduced, and therefore sufficient propulsion may not be obtained. As another ship involved in a comparative example, there is a structure in which the allowable clearance height is increased so as to move the reference line (reference Figure 3 ) is set at a high position and the radars 32 and 33 are configured at high positions accordingly. In the case of this comparative example, since the clearance height becomes large, a route that cannot be navigated may be generated.

[0038] In contrast, the ship 1 according to the present embodiment includes a bow radar 40 that is disposed on the hull 11 at a position closer to the bow side than the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D and detects an object. The radar wave of the bow radar 40 advances forward of the hull 11 without interfering with the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. Therefore, the bow radar 40 can detect an object that exists in front of the hull 11 with high accuracy. In the present embodiment, the bow radar 40 on the bow side can cover the shadows DE of the radars 32 and 33 on the stern side (see FIG. 1 ). Figure 4 ) part. Thus, when the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D are used, the detection performance of the radar can be improved. Thus, there is no need to adjust the height of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D to improve the detection performance, nor is there a need to increase the clearance height to arrange the radar at a high position. Furthermore, by providing the radars 32 and 33 on the stern side, not only obstacles in front of the ship 1 but also obstacles to the side or oblique front of the ship 1 can be detected, thereby enabling the detection of obstacles with higher accuracy.

[0039] The wind propulsion unit is the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D, and the distance L1 between the Magnus rotor 10A disposed closest to the bow side and the bow side radar 40 can be set to be five times or more the diameter R1 of the mast 41. In this case, even if the wind is disturbed by the bow side radar 40, a distance for adjusting the disturbance can be ensured before the wind hits the Magnus rotor 10A. As a result, the Magnus rotor 10A can generate sufficient propulsion force.

[0040] The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments.

[0041] For example, you can also use Figure 5 The vessel shown is 1. Figure 5 The ship 1 shown in the figure is provided with a first radar 42 and a second radar 43 having a shorter wavelength than the first radar 42 as the bow radar 40. As the first radar 42, the same device as the first radar 32 of the stern radar 30 is used. The first radar 42 is provided at a higher position than the second radar 43. The first radar 42 is provided at a lower position than the first radar 32 of the stern radar 30 and the upper end portions of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D.

[0042] according to Figure 5In the ship 1 shown, at a position closer to the bow side than the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D, the first radar 42 can maintain the ability to detect objects even under adverse conditions, and the second radar 43 can detect objects with high recognition ability and excellent sensitivity. As a result, objects existing in front of the hull 11 can be detected with high accuracy without being affected by distance or weather. In addition, the first radar 42 of the bow side radar 40 can cover the portion of the first radar 32 of the stern side radar 30 that is shadowed by the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D. In addition, the bow side radar 40 may include only the first radar 42.

[0043] In addition, you can also use Figure 6 Vessel 1 is shown. Figure 6 The vessel 1 is shown relative to Figure 5 The ship 1 shown omits the stern radar 30. That is, Figure 6 The ship 1 shown has only the first radar 42 and the second radar 43 of the bow radar 40. In this case, the bow radar 40 does not interfere with the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D and radar waves, and can detect objects in front of the ship 11 regardless of distance or weather. Figure 6 The vessel 1 is shown with Figure 3 Compared with the ship 1 shown, the number of radars can be reduced, so a ship with lower cost can be provided.

[0044] The structure of the hull 11 is not limited to Figure 1 The structure shown can be appropriately changed according to the purpose, etc. For example, the shape and arrangement of the residential area are not limited to the above-mentioned shape and arrangement.

[0045] In the above embodiment, the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are arranged at the center position in the left-right direction D2. However, a part or all of the Magnus rotors may be arranged at a position offset from the center position, and the present invention can be applied as long as they are arranged at a position where the shadow of the stern radar 30 is generated. In addition, the number of Magnus rotors is not particularly limited. In addition, there may be a Magnus rotor arranged at a position closer to the stern than the stern radar.

[0046] In the above embodiment, a Magnus rotor is used as the wind propulsion unit, but any type of wind propulsion unit may be used as long as it can block the field of vision, for example, a hard wing sail or a kite sail may be used.

Claims

1. A ship, characterized in that: have: hull; a wind propulsion unit, disposed on the hull and utilizing wind power to propel the hull; and The radar is provided on the hull at a position closer to the bow side than the wind propulsion unit, and detects an object.

2. The ship according to claim 1, characterized in that: The radar includes a first radar and a second radar having a shorter wavelength than the first radar.

3. The ship according to claim 1, characterized in that: The wind propulsion unit is a Magnus rotor. The distance between the Magnus rotor provided at the position closest to the bow and the radar is set to be five times or more the diameter of the mast on which the radar is mounted.

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