Submarine buried pipeline autonomous line patrol system and method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of pipeline inspection, and discloses an autonomous line inspection system and method for a submarine buried pipeline, and the system comprises an underwater carrier platform which comprises a control module, a horizontal propeller and a vertical propeller, and a first magnetic detector and a second magnetic detector are disposed on the underwater carrier platform. The first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are located on the same horizontal plane, the first magnetic detector is used for detecting a first distance between the first magnetic detector and the submarine pipeline, and the second magnetic detector is used for detecting a second distance between the second magnetic detector and the submarine pipeline; and the control module is used for regulating and controlling the horizontal propeller and the vertical propeller to enable the absolute value of the difference value between the first distance and the second distance not to exceed a preset value, so as to rectify the autonomous line patrol path of the underwater carrier platform. The pipeline can be detected by using the magnetic detector under the working conditions of low seawater visibility and pipeline burying, so that the autonomous line patrol path of the submarine pipeline can be corrected, and the autonomous line patrol precision is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of pipeline inspection, and in particular to an autonomous line inspection system and method for submarine buried pipelines. Background Art

[0002] As an important carrier for transporting liquids, gases or loose solids, underwater pipelines are not restricted by conditions such as water depth and terrain. They have the advantages of high transportation efficiency and low energy consumption. However, since most of them are buried underwater, inspection and maintenance are difficult.

[0003] Due to the influence of ocean dynamics, there is a deviation between the actual position of the submarine pipeline and the original route coordinates. If only the path planned by the original coordinates is used for line inspection, it will deviate from the actual pipeline. The existing marine pipeline inspection robot uses its own camera to perform linear processing on the image and transmits the processed information to the main control board. The main control board controls and adjusts the horizontal thrusters and vertical thrusters to complete the angle correction during the work process, so that the robot always moves along the oil pipeline. However, the camera is used to perform submarine pipeline image recognition and automatic deviation correction during the line inspection process, thereby ensuring that the robot always moves along the pipeline. Traditional visual image correction methods are not applicable to submarine pipeline inspections under conditions of low seawater visibility and buried pipelines.

[0004] Therefore, how to correct the inspection route of submarine pipelines under conditions of low seawater visibility and buried pipelines is a problem that technical personnel in this field need to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide an autonomous inspection system and method for submarine buried pipelines, which is used to solve the problem that traditional visual image correction methods are not suitable for submarine pipeline inspections under conditions of low seawater visibility and buried pipelines.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines, comprising: an underwater carrier platform, a first magnetic detector and a second magnetic detector;

[0007] The underwater carrier platform includes a control module, a horizontal thruster and a vertical thruster. The first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are arranged on the underwater carrier platform, and the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are in the same horizontal plane. The first magnetic detector is used to detect a first distance between itself and a submarine pipeline, and the second magnetic detector is used to detect a second distance between itself and the submarine pipeline. The control module is respectively connected to the horizontal thruster, the vertical thruster, the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector for communication, and is used to regulate the horizontal thruster and the vertical thruster so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the autonomous patrol path of the underwater carrier platform.

[0008] Optionally, it also includes a third magnetic detector and an altimeter connected to the control module, the third magnetic detector is located between the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector, the third magnetic detector is used to detect a first vertical distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, the altimeter is used to detect a second vertical distance between itself and the seabed mud surface, and the control module is used to determine the buried depth of the submarine pipeline based on the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance.

[0009] Optionally, it also includes a control unit, a GPS positioning module, an operating vessel, an underwater acoustic transducer and an underwater response beacon, the control unit and the GPS positioning module are arranged on the operating vessel, the underwater acoustic transducer is arranged at the bottom of the operating vessel, the underwater response beacon is arranged at the top of the underwater carrier platform, the transmitter of the underwater acoustic transducer is used to send a first acoustic pulse to the underwater response beacon, and the underwater response beacon is used to send back a second acoustic pulse after receiving the first acoustic pulse, the GPS positioning module is used to determine the first GPS coordinates of the operating vessel, and the control unit is respectively communicated with the GPS positioning module, the underwater acoustic transducer, the underwater response beacon and the control module, and is used to determine the relative position coordinates of the underwater carrier platform and the operating vessel according to the time delay difference and phase difference between the first acoustic pulse and the second acoustic pulse, and determine the second GPS coordinates of the underwater carrier platform according to the first GPS coordinates and the relative position coordinates.

[0010] Optionally, a side-scan sonar is further provided at the bottom of the underwater carrier platform, and the side-scan sonar is communicatively connected with the control module and is used for imaging the buried condition and exposed condition of the submarine pipeline.

[0011] Optionally, the underwater carrier platform includes a main frame and a pressure-resistant cabin, the control module is arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin, and the horizontal thruster and the vertical thruster are installed on the main frame.

[0012] Optionally, the underwater carrier platform further includes an inertial navigation system connected to the control module, and the inertial navigation system is used to detect the posture and position of the underwater carrier platform.

[0013] The present application also provides an autonomous line inspection method for a submarine buried pipeline, which is applied to the autonomous line inspection system for a submarine buried pipeline, comprising:

[0014] When the underwater carrier platform moves according to the autonomous line patrol path, a first distance between the underwater carrier platform and the submarine pipeline detected by a first magnetic detector and a second distance between the underwater carrier platform and the submarine pipeline detected by a second magnetic detector are acquired in real time;

[0015] The horizontal propeller and the vertical propeller are regulated according to the first distance and the second distance so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the deviation of the autonomous line patrol path.

[0016] Optionally, before the underwater carrier platform moves according to the autonomous line patrol path, it also includes:

[0017] The autonomous patrol path is formed according to the original GPS coordinates of the submarine pipeline;

[0018] Obtaining the first GPS coordinates of the operating vessel detected by the GPS positioning module;

[0019] Determine the time delay difference and phase difference between a first acoustic pulse sent by the underwater acoustic transducer and a second acoustic pulse sent back by the underwater transponder beacon after receiving the first acoustic pulse, and determine the relative position coordinates of the underwater carrier platform and the operating vessel according to the time delay difference and the phase difference;

[0020] Determine a second GPS coordinate of the underwater carrier platform according to the relative position coordinate and the first GPS coordinate;

[0021] The underwater carrier platform is controlled to navigate to the path starting point coordinates in the autonomous line patrol path according to the second GPS coordinates, so that the underwater carrier platform moves according to the autonomous line patrol path.

[0022] Optionally, if the altimeter is located below the third magnetic detector, and there is a preset distance between the altimeter and the third magnetic detector in the horizontal direction, the method further includes:

[0023] Acquire in real time a first vertical distance between the third magnetic detector and the submarine pipeline and a second vertical distance between the third magnetic detector and the submarine mud surface.

[0024] Determine a third vertical distance between the third magnetic detector and the altimeter, and determine a target time interval according to the preset distance and the patrol speed of the underwater carrier platform;

[0025] Determine the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance, the second vertical distance and the third vertical distance;

[0026] The detection time interval between the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance is the target time interval.

[0027] Optionally, determining the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance, the second vertical distance, and the third vertical distance includes:

[0028] Calculate the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to a preset formula;

[0029] The preset formula is H=H1-H2-h;

[0030] Wherein, H is the buried depth of the submarine pipeline, H1 is the first vertical distance, H2 is the second vertical distance, and h is the third vertical distance.

[0031] The present application provides an autonomous line inspection system for buried submarine pipelines, including: an underwater carrier platform, a first magnetic detector and a second magnetic detector; the underwater carrier platform includes a control module, a horizontal thruster and a vertical thruster, the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are arranged on the underwater carrier platform, and the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are in the same horizontal plane, the first magnetic detector is used to detect the first distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, and the second magnetic detector is used to detect the second distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, and the control module is respectively connected to the horizontal thruster, the vertical thruster, the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector for communication, and is used to control the horizontal thruster and the vertical thruster so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed the preset value, so as to correct the autonomous line inspection path of the underwater carrier platform. The magnetic detector can detect the pipeline under low seawater visibility and pipeline buried conditions, so that the autonomous line inspection path of the submarine pipeline can be corrected, and the accuracy of the autonomous line inspection can be improved. In addition, it also provides basic information for the subsequent inspection work of the submarine pipeline and improves the safety management level of the submarine pipeline.

[0032] The beneficial effects of the autonomous line inspection method for buried submarine pipelines provided in the present application correspond to the system, and the effects are as above. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application, the following is a brief introduction to the drawings required for use in the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0034] Figure 1 A top view of an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0035] Figure 2 A structural diagram of an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0036] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0037] Figure 4 A flow chart of an autonomous line inspection method for a submarine buried pipeline provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0038] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a submarine pipeline buried depth detection provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0039] The reference numerals are as follows: 1 is an underwater carrier platform, 101 is a control module, 102 is a horizontal thruster, 103 is a vertical thruster, 2 is a first magnetic detector, 3 is a second magnetic detector, 4 is a third magnetic detector, 5 is an inertial navigation system, 6 is a control unit, 7 is a GPS positioning module, 8 is a hydroacoustic transducer, 9 is an underwater response beacon, 10 is an altimeter, 11 is a side-scan sonar, and 12 is an umbilical cable. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0040] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments in the present application, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0041] The core of this application is to provide an autonomous line inspection system and method for submarine buried pipelines, which are used to correct the submarine pipeline inspection route under conditions of low seawater visibility and buried pipelines.

[0042] In order to enable those skilled in the art to better understand the present application, the present application is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and specific implementation methods.

[0043] Figure 1 A top view of an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 This is a structural diagram of an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of an autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, an autonomous line inspection system for a submarine buried pipeline includes: an underwater carrier platform 1, a first magnetic detector 2 and a second magnetic detector 3; the underwater carrier platform 1 includes a control module 101, a horizontal thruster 102 and a vertical thruster 103, the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3 are arranged on the underwater carrier platform 1, and the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3 are in the same horizontal plane, the first magnetic detector 2 is used to detect a first distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, and the second magnetic detector 3 is used to detect a second distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, and the control module 101 is respectively communicated with the horizontal thruster 102, the vertical thruster 103, the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3, and is used to regulate the horizontal thruster 102 and the vertical thruster 103 so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the autonomous line inspection path of the underwater carrier platform 1.

[0044] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the structure of the underwater carrier platform 1. The underwater carrier platform 1 is located underwater and is the execution device of the autonomous line patrol system. Specifically, the underwater carrier platform 1 includes a main frame and a pressure-resistant cabin. The control module 101 is arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin. The horizontal thruster 102 and the vertical thruster 103 are installed on the main frame. The horizontal thruster 102 and the vertical thruster 103 mainly provide power for the underwater carrier platform 1. Installing the control module 101 in the pressure-resistant cabin can effectively prevent the pressure of the seabed from damaging the control module 101. The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the installation position and shape of the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3. Figure 1 As shown, the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3 can be installed on the head of the underwater carrier platform 1 through a special bracket, and the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3 are parallel and located on the same horizontal plane. The underwater carrier platform 1 moves according to the autonomous line patrol path. During this process, the control module 101 adjusts the horizontal propeller 102 and the vertical propeller 103 according to the first distance detected by the first magnetic detector 2 and the second distance detected by the second magnetic detector 3 to adjust the posture and position of the underwater carrier platform 1 so that the absolute values ​​of the first distance and the second distance do not exceed the preset values, thereby ensuring that the underwater carrier platform 1 is always along the axis direction of the submarine pipeline and completes the correction of the autonomous line patrol path.

[0045] An autonomous line inspection system for buried submarine pipelines provided in an embodiment of the present application includes: an underwater carrier platform, a first magnetic detector and a second magnetic detector; the underwater carrier platform includes a control module, a horizontal thruster and a vertical thruster, the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are arranged on the underwater carrier platform, and the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector are in the same horizontal plane, the first magnetic detector is used to detect the first distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, and the second magnetic detector is used to detect the second distance between itself and the submarine pipeline, and the control module is respectively connected to the horizontal thruster, the vertical thruster, the first magnetic detector and the second magnetic detector for communication, and is used to adjust the horizontal thruster and the vertical thruster so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed the preset value, so as to correct the autonomous line inspection path of the underwater carrier platform. The magnetic detector can detect the pipeline under low seawater visibility and pipeline buried conditions, so that the autonomous line inspection path of the submarine pipeline can be corrected, and the accuracy of the autonomous line inspection can be improved. In addition, it also provides basic information for the subsequent inspection work of the submarine pipeline and improves the safety management level of the submarine pipeline.

[0046] Based on the above embodiments, the embodiments of the present application also include a third magnetic detector 4 and an altimeter 10 connected to the control module 101. The third magnetic detector 4 is located between the first magnetic detector 2 and the second magnetic detector 3. The third magnetic detector 4 is used to detect a first vertical distance between itself and the submarine pipeline. The altimeter 10 is used to detect a second vertical distance between itself and the seabed mud surface. The control module 101 is used to determine the buried depth of the submarine pipeline based on the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance.

[0047] The embodiment of the present application does not specifically limit the communication connection mode between the control module 101 and the magnetic detector (the first magnetic detector 2, the second magnetic detector 3 and the third magnetic detector 4). The control module 101 can establish communication with the magnetic detector using an underwater cable. How to determine the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance also needs to be determined according to the relative positions of the third magnetic detector 4 and the altimeter 10. For example, when the third magnetic detector 4 and the altimeter 10 are set at the same height and the distance in the horizontal direction is small enough to be ignored, the difference between the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance can be used as the buried depth of the submarine pipeline; if the altimeter 10 is located below the third magnetic detector 4 and the distance in the horizontal direction is small enough to be ignored, after obtaining the difference between the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance, the difference minus the distance between the third magnetic detector 4 and the altimeter 10 in the vertical direction is the buried depth of the submarine pipeline; if there is still a distance between the altimeter 10 and the three magnetic detectors 4 in the horizontal direction, the time interval for detecting the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance also needs to be considered to ensure that the altimeter 10 and the three magnetic detectors 4 are detected at the same position in the horizontal direction.

[0048] The embodiment of the present application can detect the buried depth of the submarine pipeline in turbid water by using the altimeter 10 and the three-magnetic detector 4, providing a theoretical basis for the safety management of the submarine pipeline; and the correction based on the above-mentioned autonomous route can also improve the accuracy of the buried depth detection of the submarine pipeline.

[0049] Based on the above embodiment, the embodiment of the present application also includes a control unit 6, a GPS positioning module 7, an operating ship, an underwater acoustic transducer 8 and an underwater response beacon 9. The control unit 6 and the GPS positioning module 7 are arranged on the operating ship, the underwater acoustic transducer 8 is arranged at the bottom of the operating ship, and the underwater response beacon 9 is arranged on the top of the underwater carrier platform 1. The transmitter of the underwater acoustic transducer 8 is used to send a first sound pulse to the underwater response beacon 9, and the underwater response beacon 9 is used to send back a second sound pulse after receiving the first sound pulse. The GPS positioning module 7 is used to determine the first GPS coordinates of the operating ship. The control unit 6 is respectively communicated with the GPS positioning module 101, the underwater acoustic transducer 8, the underwater response beacon 9 and the control module 101, and is used to determine the relative position coordinates of the underwater carrier platform 1 and the operating ship according to the time delay difference and phase difference between the first sound pulse and the second sound pulse, and determine the second GPS coordinates of the underwater carrier platform 1 according to the first GPS coordinates and the relative position coordinates.

[0050] like Figure 2 As shown, the control unit 6 of the embodiment of the present application can be connected to the control module 101 of the underwater carrier platform 1 by using the umbilical cable 12. The control unit 6 transmits the control command to the underwater carrier platform 1 through the umbilical cable 12. For example, the autonomous line patrol path is transmitted to the control module 101 through the umbilical cable 12. The underwater carrier platform 1 can move according to the planned autonomous line patrol path. The underwater carrier platform 1 feeds back the position and posture information and the corrected autonomous line patrol path information to the control unit 6 on the water surface through the umbilical cable 12, and displays it in real time on the display screen of the control unit 6.

[0051] The relative positions of the underwater submersible platform 1 and the operating vessel are determined by the hydroacoustic transducer 8 and the underwater response beacon 9, and the second GPS coordinates of the underwater submersible platform 1 are determined in combination with the first GPS coordinates of the operating vessel, thereby solving the problem of inaccurate positioning of the underwater submersible platform coordinates due to severe attenuation of GPS electromagnetic wave signals in seawater when directly using GPS to locate the coordinates of the underwater submersible platform.

[0052] Based on the above embodiments, a side-scan sonar 11 is further provided at the bottom of the underwater carrier platform 1 in the embodiment of the present application. The side-scan sonar 11 is communicatively connected with the control module 101 and is used for imaging the buried condition and exposed condition of the submarine pipeline.

[0053] The side scan sonar 11 realizes the imaging of the buried condition and the suspended exposed condition of the submarine pipeline, and feeds back the imaging to the control unit 6 on the water so that the staff can understand the condition of the submarine pipeline.

[0054] Based on the above embodiments, the underwater carrier platform 1 in the embodiment of the present application further includes an inertial navigation system 5 connected to the control module 101 , and the inertial navigation system 5 is used to detect the posture and position of the underwater carrier platform 1 .

[0055] The inertial navigation system 5 in the embodiment of the present application includes a gyroscope and an accelerometer. The inertial navigation system 5 is installed in the pressure-resistant cabin of the underwater carrier platform 1 and is used to detect the posture and position of the underwater carrier platform 1. The control module 101 of the underwater carrier platform 1 feeds back the posture and position of the underwater carrier platform 1 to the control unit 6 on the operating vessel.

[0056] Figure 4 A flowchart of an autonomous line inspection method for a submarine buried pipeline provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown in FIG. Figure 4 As shown, the autonomous line inspection system for the above-mentioned submarine buried pipeline includes:

[0057] S10: When the underwater carrier platform moves according to the autonomous line patrol path, a first distance between the underwater carrier platform and the submarine pipeline detected by the first magnetic detector and a second distance between the underwater carrier platform and the submarine pipeline detected by the second magnetic detector are obtained in real time;

[0058] Before the underwater carrier platform 1 moves according to the autonomous patrol path, the method further includes: transmitting the original GPS coordinates of the submarine pipeline to the control module 101 through the umbilical cable, and the control module 101 forms an autonomous patrol path according to the original GPS coordinates of the submarine pipeline; acquiring the first GPS coordinates of the operating vessel detected by the GPS positioning module 7; determining the time delay difference and phase difference between the first acoustic pulse sent by the hydroacoustic transducer 8 and the second acoustic pulse sent back by the underwater transponder beacon 9 after receiving the first acoustic pulse, and determining the relative position coordinates of the underwater carrier platform 1 and the operating vessel according to the time delay difference and the phase difference; determining the second GPS coordinates of the underwater carrier platform 1 according to the relative position coordinates and the first GPS coordinates; and controlling the underwater carrier platform 1 to navigate to the path starting point coordinates in the autonomous patrol path according to the second GPS coordinates, so that the underwater carrier platform 1 moves according to the autonomous patrol path.

[0059] S11: adjusting the horizontal propeller and the vertical propeller according to the first distance and the second distance so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the deviation of the autonomous line patrol path.

[0060] After the autonomous patrol path of the underwater carrier platform 1 is corrected, the coordinates of the corrected submarine pipeline path can be fed back to the control unit 6 on the water surface in real time to complete the update of the autonomous patrol path.

[0061] Furthermore, the altimeter 10 and the third magnetic detector 4 can also be used to detect the buried depth of the submarine pipeline. For ease of understanding, the following example is given: Figure 5 A schematic diagram of a submarine pipeline buried depth detection provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown as follows: Figure 5As shown, the altimeter 10 is located below the third magnetic detector 4, and there is a preset distance between the altimeter 10 and the third magnetic detector 4 in the horizontal direction. The method for calculating the buried depth of the submarine pipeline is: obtaining in real time the first vertical distance between the third magnetic detector 4 and the submarine pipeline and the second vertical distance between the altimeter 10 and the seabed mud surface; determining the third vertical distance between the third magnetic detector 4 and the altimeter 10, and determining the target time interval according to the preset distance and the patrol line speed of the underwater carrier platform 1; determining the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance, the second vertical distance and the third vertical distance; wherein the detection time interval between the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance is the target time interval.

[0062] like Figure 5 As shown, the horizontal distance between the third magnetic detector 4 and the altimeter 10 is L, the patrol speed of the underwater carrier platform 1 is known to be v, and the target time interval = L / v; if the first vertical distance H1 between the third magnetic detector 4 and the submarine pipeline detected at time t1 is determined, it is necessary to calculate time t2 (t2 = t1 + L / v) based on time t1 and the target time interval, determine the second vertical distance H2 between the altimeter 10 and the seabed mud surface detected at time t2, and determine the third vertical distance h between the third magnetic detector 4 and the altimeter 10; finally, calculate the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to a preset formula; the preset formula is H = H1-H2-h; wherein H is the buried depth of the submarine pipeline, H1 is the first vertical distance, H2 is the second vertical distance, and h is the third vertical distance.

[0063] An autonomous patrol method for a buried submarine pipeline provided in an embodiment of the present application is applied to the above-mentioned autonomous patrol system for buried submarine pipelines, including: when the underwater carrier platform moves according to the autonomous patrol path, real-time acquisition of a first distance between itself and the submarine pipeline detected by a first magnetic detector and a second distance between itself and the submarine pipeline detected by a second magnetic detector; regulating the horizontal thruster and the vertical thruster according to the first distance and the second distance so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the autonomous patrol path. The magnetic detector can detect the pipeline under conditions of low seawater visibility and buried pipelines, so that the autonomous patrol path of the submarine pipeline can be corrected to improve the accuracy of the autonomous patrol. In addition, it also provides basic data for subsequent patrol work of submarine pipelines and improves the safety management level of submarine pipelines.

[0064] The hydroacoustic transducer and underwater transponder beacon determine the relative position of the underwater submersible platform and the operating vessel, and then determine the second GPS coordinates of the underwater submersible platform in combination with the first GPS coordinates of the operating vessel, thus solving the problem of inaccurate positioning of the underwater submersible platform coordinates caused by the severe attenuation of GPS electromagnetic wave signals in seawater when directly using GPS to locate the coordinates of the underwater submersible platform.

[0065] The combination of magnetic detector and altimeter solves the problem of buried depth detection of buried pipelines and provides a theoretical basis for the safe management of submarine pipelines.

[0066] The above is a detailed introduction to an autonomous submarine buried pipeline patrol system and method provided by the present application. The various embodiments in the specification are described in a progressive manner, and each embodiment focuses on the differences from other embodiments. The same and similar parts between the embodiments can be referenced to each other. For the device disclosed in the embodiment, since it corresponds to the method disclosed in the embodiment, the description is relatively simple, and the relevant parts can be referred to the method part description. It should be pointed out that for ordinary technicians in this technical field, without departing from the principles of the present application, several improvements and modifications can be made to the present application, and these improvements and modifications also fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present application.

[0067] It should also be noted that, in this specification, relational terms such as first and second, etc. are only used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that a process, method, article or device including a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or device. In the absence of further restrictions, an element defined by the statement "comprises a ..." does not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or device including the element.

Claims

1. An autonomous line inspection system for buried submarine pipelines, characterized in that: include: An underwater carrier platform (1), a first magnetic detector (2) and a second magnetic detector (3); The underwater carrier platform (1) comprises a control module (101), a horizontal thruster (102) and a vertical thruster (103); the first magnetic detector (2) and the second magnetic detector (3) are arranged on the underwater carrier platform (1), and the first magnetic detector (2) and the second magnetic detector (3) are located in the same horizontal plane; the first magnetic detector (2) is used to detect a first distance between itself and a submarine pipeline; the second magnetic detector (3) is used to detect a second distance between itself and the submarine pipeline; the control module (101) is respectively connected to the horizontal thruster (102), the vertical thruster (103), the first magnetic detector (2) and the second magnetic detector (3) for communication; and is used to control the horizontal thruster (102) and the vertical thruster (103) so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the autonomous patrol path of the underwater carrier platform (1).

2. The autonomous line inspection system for buried submarine pipelines according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The invention also comprises a third magnetic detector (4) and an altimeter (10) connected to the control module (101); the third magnetic detector (4) is located between the first magnetic detector (2) and the second magnetic detector (3); the third magnetic detector (4) is used to detect a first vertical distance between itself and the submarine pipeline; the altimeter (10) is used to detect a second vertical distance between itself and the seabed mud surface; and the control module (101) is used to determine the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance.

3. The autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The system also comprises a control unit (6), a GPS positioning module (7), an operating vessel, an underwater acoustic transducer (8) and an underwater transponder beacon (9), wherein the control unit (6) and the GPS positioning module (7) are arranged on the operating vessel, the underwater acoustic transducer (8) is arranged on the bottom of the operating vessel, the underwater transponder beacon (9) is arranged on the top of the underwater carrier platform (1), the transmitter of the underwater acoustic transducer (8) is used to send a first sound pulse to the underwater transponder beacon (9), and the underwater transponder beacon (9) is used to send back a second sound pulse after receiving the first sound pulse. The GPS positioning module (7) is used to determine the first GPS coordinates of the operating vessel, and the control unit (6) is respectively connected to the GPS positioning module (7), the underwater acoustic transducer (8), the underwater response beacon (9) and the control module (101) for communication, and is used to determine the relative position coordinates of the underwater carrier platform (1) and the operating vessel according to the time delay difference and the phase difference between the first acoustic pulse and the second acoustic pulse, and to determine the second GPS coordinates of the underwater carrier platform (1) according to the first GPS coordinates and the relative position coordinates.

4. The autonomous line inspection system for buried submarine pipelines according to claim 1 is characterized in that: A side-scan sonar (11) is also provided at the bottom of the underwater carrier platform (1); the side-scan sonar (11) is communicatively connected to the control module (101) and is used for imaging the buried condition and exposed condition of the submarine pipeline.

5. The autonomous line inspection system for buried submarine pipelines according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The underwater carrier platform (1) comprises a main frame and a pressure-resistant cabin, the control module (101) is arranged inside the pressure-resistant cabin, and the horizontal thruster (102) and the vertical thruster (103) are installed on the main frame.

6. The autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines according to claim 1 is characterized in that: The underwater carrier platform (1) further comprises an inertial navigation system (5) connected to the control module (101), wherein the inertial navigation system (5) is used to detect the posture and position of the underwater carrier platform (1).

7. An autonomous line inspection method for buried submarine pipelines, characterized in that: The autonomous line inspection system for submarine buried pipelines according to any one of claims 1 to 6 comprises: When the underwater carrier platform (1) moves along an autonomous patrol path, a first distance between the underwater carrier platform (1) and the submarine pipeline detected by a first magnetic detector (2) and a second distance between the underwater carrier platform (1) and the submarine pipeline detected by a second magnetic detector (3) are obtained in real time; The horizontal propeller (102) and the vertical propeller (103) are regulated according to the first distance and the second distance so that the absolute value of the difference between the first distance and the second distance does not exceed a preset value, so as to correct the deviation of the autonomous line patrol path.

8. The autonomous line inspection method for submarine buried pipelines according to claim 7 is characterized in that: Before the underwater carrier platform (1) moves along the autonomous line patrol path, it also includes: The autonomous patrol path is formed according to the original GPS coordinates of the submarine pipeline; Acquiring a first GPS coordinate of the operating vessel detected by a GPS positioning module (7); Determining a time delay difference and a phase difference between a first acoustic pulse sent by an underwater acoustic transducer (8) and a second acoustic pulse sent back by an underwater response beacon (9) after receiving the first acoustic pulse, and determining the relative position coordinates of the underwater carrier platform (1) and the operating vessel based on the time delay difference and the phase difference; Determining a second GPS coordinate of the underwater carrier platform (1) according to the relative position coordinate and the first GPS coordinate; The underwater carrier platform (1) is controlled to navigate to the path starting point coordinates in the autonomous line patrol path according to the second GPS coordinates, so that the underwater carrier platform (1) moves according to the autonomous line patrol path.

9. The autonomous line inspection method for submarine buried pipelines according to claim 7 is characterized in that: If the altimeter (10) is located below the third magnetic detector (4), and there is a preset distance between the altimeter (10) and the third magnetic detector (4) in the horizontal direction, the method further comprises: Acquiring in real time a first vertical distance between the third magnetic detector (4) and the submarine pipeline and a second vertical distance between the third magnetic detector (4) and the submarine mud surface and detected by the altimeter (10); Determining a third vertical distance between the third magnetic detector (4) and the altimeter (10), and determining a target time interval according to the preset distance and the line patrol speed of the underwater carrier platform (1); Determine the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance, the second vertical distance and the third vertical distance; The detection time interval between the first vertical distance and the second vertical distance is the target time interval.

10. The autonomous line inspection method for submarine buried pipelines according to claim 9 is characterized in that: Determining the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to the first vertical distance, the second vertical distance, and the third vertical distance includes: Calculate the buried depth of the submarine pipeline according to a preset formula; The preset formula is H=H1-H2-h; Wherein, H is the buried depth of the submarine pipeline, H1 is the first vertical distance, H2 is the second vertical distance, and h is the third vertical distance.

Images