Thickness monitoring and sampling device, system and method for deep sea reprecipitation sediment

Abstract

The invention discloses a deep sea reprecipitation sediment thickness monitoring sampling device, system and method. The sampling device comprises a box body with an opening in the top end, and the box body is divided into a first sampling box and a second sampling box through a partition plate; a first bottom plate of the first sampling box is in a plane shape, the upper surface of the first bottom plate is covered with an identification pattern, and the identification pattern is formed by splicing a plurality of equal-area color blocks; and a bottom plate II of the sampling box II is in a folded plate shape. The system further comprises an image acquisition system and a data processing system. The method is carried out by the system. By arranging the sampling box I and the sampling box II, effective and reliable measurement data can be obtained for different reprecipitation sediment thicknesses, so that the lower limit of a reprecipitation sediment monitoring thickness range is improved. The device is simple in structure, extra manual operation and arrangement are not needed, the underwater operation requirement is met, and data instability caused by electric control or numerical control can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of deep - sea mining, and particularly to a device, a system and a method for monitoring and sampling the thickness of re - precipitated sediments in the deep sea. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous increase in the demand for mineral resources, the country has been increasing its exploration and exploitation efforts on deep - sea environmental mineral resources. To better understand the impact of deep - sea mining on the environment, it is urgent to conduct comprehensive monitoring experiments and modeling work on the seabed environment. Since deep - sea mining can cause the sediments in the deep sea to be resuspended again to form a plume, and then settle to form re - precipitated sediments, one of the key points in the comprehensive monitoring of the seabed environment lies in the monitoring of the thickness of re - precipitated sediments.

[0003] Due to different disturbance sources and disturbance intensities, the diffusion range of the generated plume is different, so the time required for its settlement is also different, and the thickness of the formed re - precipitated sediments is also different. Therefore, when the device is placed at different distances from the disturbance source, the thickness of the re - precipitated sediments to be monitored will be different.

[0004] However, the existing monitoring of the thickness of re - precipitated sediments has the problem of limited thickness detection range: due to accuracy limitations, the existing re - precipitated sediment detection device must measure through a measuring tool when the thickness of the re - precipitated sediments accumulates to a certain extent. Therefore, for the monitoring of re - precipitated sediments with extremely thin thickness, accurate data cannot be obtained, so it is impossible to comprehensively detect re - precipitated sediments of various thicknesses.

[0005] Therefore, a device, a system and a method for monitoring and sampling the thickness of deep - sea re - precipitated sediments are needed, which have a simple structure, a finer and larger thickness detection range, and stable and reliable results. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The technical problem to be solved by the present invention is to overcome the deficiencies of the prior art and provide a device for monitoring the thickness of deep - sea re - precipitated sediments, including a box body with an open top, and the box body is divided into a first sampling box and a second sampling box by a partition board; The bottom plate one of the first sampling box is flat, and the upper surface of the bottom plate one is covered with a marking pattern, and the marking pattern is composed of a plurality of color blocks of equal area spliced together; The bottom plate two of the second sampling box is in a folded - plate shape.

[0007] As a further improvement of the above - mentioned technical solution: The marking pattern is in a checkerboard shape, and the colors of adjacent color blocks are different.

[0008] The bottom plate two is bent to form a plurality of open - top grooves that are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom; the sizes of the open - top grooves are the same.

[0009] On the side wall of the open tank, there is an inclined grid scale for meshing the sediment accumulation surface.

[0010] It also includes a scale hinged at one end to the side of the box for direct reading.

[0011] On the two opposite sides of the box, there are convex edges protruding outward for providing a force application point for the external placement and recovery structure.

[0012] A deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring system, applicable to the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring and sampling device, includes an image acquisition system for respectively collecting the planar image information in sampling box one and the sediment shape and size information in sampling box two, and a data processing system electrically connected to the image acquisition system.

[0013] A deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring method, using the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring system, includes the following steps: S1: Place the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring and sampling device on the seabed; S2: Collect images before, during, and after mining through the image acquisition system; S3: The data processing system processes the collected data to calculate the sediment coverage rate in sampling box one and / or the three - dimensional size of the sediment in sampling box two; S4: Convert the sediment coverage rate and / or the three - dimensional size of the sediment obtained by the calculation in S3 to obtain the average volume and thickness of the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment.

[0014] As a further improvement of the above - mentioned technical solution: In step S3, when the sediment thickness a is less than or equal to 1 mm, obtain the sediment coverage rate through the change of the identification pattern color and then calculate the specific thickness of the sediment; when the sediment thickness a is greater than 1 mm and less than 5 cm, obtain the three - dimensional size of the sediment in sampling box two through the inclined grid scale combined with the three - dimensional model conversion technology, and in step S4, the data processing system processes and converts the sediment coverage rate and the three - dimensional size of the sediment to obtain the sediment thickness size; when the sediment thickness a is greater than or equal to 5 cm, directly read the sediment thickness size in the box through the scale.

[0015] Compared with the prior art, the advantages of the present invention are as follows: By setting sampling box one and sampling box two, the present invention can obtain effective and reliable measurement data for different re - precipitated sediment thicknesses, thereby increasing the lower limit of the monitored thickness range of the re - precipitated sediment. And the device has a simple structure, without the need for additional manual operations and settings, meets the requirements of underwater operations, and can reduce the data instability caused by electronic control or numerical control. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic three - dimensional view of the structure of the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring and sampling device in the embodiment; Figure 2 is a schematic view of the structure of the box body in the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring and sampling device in the embodiment; Figure 3 is a schematic view of the structure of the re - precipitated sediment collection process diagram in the embodiment.

[0017] Each label in the figure represents: 1. Box body; 11. Partition board; 2. Sampling box one; 21. Bottom board one; 211. Identification pattern; 3. Sampling box two; 31. Bottom board two; 311. Open - topped groove; 3111. Inclined plane grid scale; 4. Scale; 5. Flange. Detailed Embodiment

[0018] The present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the specification and specific embodiments.

[0019] Device Embodiment: As Figures 1 to 3 shown, the deep - sea re - precipitated sediment thickness monitoring device of this embodiment includes a box body 1 with an open top at the top. The box body 1 is divided into a sampling box one 2 and a sampling box two 3 by a partition board 11; The bottom board one 21 of the sampling box one 2 is planar, and the upper surface of the bottom board one 21 is covered with an identification pattern 211, and the identification pattern 211 is composed of a plurality of color blocks with equal areas spliced together; The bottom board two 31 of the sampling box two 3 is in a folded - plate shape.

[0020] In this structure, the box body 1 is composed of a bottom plate and four side plates. The box body is also provided with a partition plate 11 located in the middle, which divides the box body 1 into a first sampling box 2 and a second sampling box 3. After using this device to collect the re-precipitated sediment, cooperate with the existing underwater image acquisition equipment to obtain the images of the deposition conditions of the re-precipitated sediment before and after mining of the sampling device. Since the quantity of the re-precipitated sediment is related to the distance from the disturbance source, the closer to the disturbance source, the more the deposition amount of the re-precipitated sediment, and the farther from the disturbance source, the less the deposition amount of the re-precipitated sediment. Therefore, according to the distance of this device from the disturbance source, the thickness of the re-precipitated sediment can be preliminarily estimated, and then the specific thickness of the re-precipitated sediment can be obtained by combining the image analysis technology according to different thickness intervals. When the re-precipitated sediment is less, obtain the image information of the identification pattern 211, and obtain the sediment coverage rate on the bottom plate 21 in the first sampling box 2 through the color change of the identification pattern 211 on this image and parameters such as the noise and gray scale of the image, and then obtain the specific thickness of the re-precipitated sediment accumulated on the bottom plate 21; when the re-precipitated sediment is more, obtain the three-dimensional size and volume data of the sediment converged in the bottom plate 31, and then convert to obtain the thickness of the deep-sea re-precipitated sediment. By setting the first sampling box 2 and the second sampling box 3, effective and reliable measurement data can be obtained for different thicknesses of the re-precipitated sediment, thereby increasing the lower limit of the monitoring thickness range of the re-precipitated sediment. And this device has a simple structure, without the need for manual additional operations and settings, meets the requirements of underwater operations, and can reduce the data instability caused by electronic control or numerical control.

[0021] In this embodiment, the identification pattern 211 is in a checkerboard shape, and the colors of adjacent color blocks are different. In this embodiment, the identification pattern 211 is set as a black and white checkerboard. Cooperate with the image analysis technology to obtain the color change information of the black and white checkerboard, so as to further obtain the coverage rate of the re-precipitated sediment, and then obtain its thickness data. In other embodiments, the identification pattern 211 can also select other graphics to obtain the color change of the identification pattern 211. And the same color arranged at intervals can provide basis points for image correction to assist camera photography and image distortion correction. Thus, higher-precision measurement data can be obtained for the case of lower thickness.

[0022] In this embodiment, the bottom plate 31 is bent to form a plurality of open slots 311 that are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom; the sizes of the open slots 311 are the same. In this structure, the open slot 311 can be set as a V-shaped slot, and can also be set as a gradually changing structure such as an inverted cone that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom. By setting the open slot 311 with a gradually changing structure that is wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, it is convenient to convert the thickness and volume of the sediment in the open slot 311 by monitoring the change in the width of the upper surface of the sediment, magnify and show the change in the volume of the sediment, and improve the monitoring accuracy and minimum range. There are various mathematical methods for calculating the thickness of the sediment in the open slot 311: such as Figure 2As shown, by measuring the width of the sediment coverage on the sine function waveform with a known amplitude and frequency (red solid line arrow), the sediment thickness (red dashed line arrow) can be calculated. The sediment is concentrated in the troughs with known shapes. By horizontally measuring the width of the sediment coverage area, the volume of the sediment can be quantified. Imaging and comparing the monitoring device before and after mining can then be used to calculate the sediment thickness. An inclined grid scale 3111 for meshing the sediment accumulation surface can also be provided on the side wall of the open trough 311. Since the sediment settlement process is not a uniform deposition, the tangent line to the side of the open trough 311 within a certain area may not be a straight line. Therefore, the error of the sediment volume calculated by the first method is relatively large. By using the inclined grid scale 3111 to mesh the re-precipitated sediment accumulation surface and then obtaining two-dimensional image information, through existing technologies such as three-dimensional reconstruction technology or three-dimensional conversion technology, the grid data on the two-dimensional image can be quantified and information can be extracted from it to construct a three-dimensional model. Then, through image processing and calculation, the three-dimensional dimensions of the re-precipitated sediment accumulation and the volume of the re-precipitated sediment can be calculated to improve the monitoring accuracy. By meshing the sediment and then using image processing and mathematical processing to calculate the volume of the re-precipitated sediment in the open trough 311 and further calculating its thickness, the measurement results are more accurate.

[0023] In this embodiment, a scale 4 for direct reading is also included, which is hinged at one end to the side of the box body 1. In the case where there is a large amount of re-precipitated sediment, there is no need to calculate the thickness of the re-precipitated sediment by the sediment coverage rate of the bottom plate 21, nor is it necessary to use the inclined grid scale 3111 to calculate the volume and thickness of the re-precipitated sediment. The image of the re-precipitated sediment in the box body 1 can be directly obtained by taking a photo, and then the thickness of the re-precipitated sediment can be directly read in combination with a measuring tool such as the scale 4 like a measuring tape. This operation is simpler and more convenient. And the scale 4 is set in the shape of black and white intervals to ensure that in the case of unclear photos, a reference object can also be provided through the changes in different colors such as black and white, so as to obtain a rough reading.

[0024] In this embodiment, on the two opposite side faces of the box body 1, convex edges 5 are formed outward for providing a force application point for the external deployment and recovery structure. The convex edges 5 are arranged on the two symmetrical side faces of the box body to facilitate providing a force application point for an external deployment and recovery structure such as a clamp, so as to lift or lower the box body 1 to the corresponding area on the seabed. The advantage is that it can better adapt to different types of deployment and recovery structures, and simplifies the structure, making the overall structure more simple.

[0025] The deep-sea re-precipitated sediment thickness monitoring system of this embodiment includes an image acquisition system for respectively collecting the planar image information in the sampling box 2 and the sediment shape and size information in the sampling box 3, and a data processing system electrically connected to the image acquisition system.

[0026] Method Embodiment: The method for monitoring the thickness of deep-sea re-precipitated sediments in this embodiment is carried out using the deep-sea re-precipitated sediment thickness monitoring system in the device embodiment, and includes the following steps: S1: Deploy the deep-sea re-precipitated sediment thickness monitoring sampling device on the seabed; S2: Collect images before, during, and after mining through the image acquisition system; S3: The data processing system processes the collected data and calculates the sediment coverage rate in sampling box 1 and / or the three-dimensional size of the sediment in sampling box 2; S4: Convert the sediment coverage rate and / or the three-dimensional size of the sediment obtained by the calculation in S3 to obtain the average volume and thickness of the deep-sea re-precipitated sediment.

[0027] In this embodiment, in step S3, when the sediment thickness a is less than or equal to 1 mm, the sediment coverage rate is obtained through the color change of the identification pattern 211 and then the specific thickness of the sediment is calculated; when the sediment thickness a is greater than 1 mm and less than 5 cm, the three-dimensional size of the sediment in sampling box 2 is obtained through the inclined plane grid scale 3111 combined with the three-dimensional model conversion technology, and in step S4, the data processing system processes and converts the sediment coverage rate and the three-dimensional size of the sediment to obtain the sediment thickness size; when the sediment thickness a is greater than or equal to 5 cm, the sediment thickness size in the box 1 is directly read through the scale 4.

[0028] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make many possible changes and modifications to the technical solution of the present invention, or modify it into an equivalent embodiment with equivalent changes, without departing from the scope of the technical solution of the present invention. Therefore, any simple modification, equivalent change, and modification made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention without departing from the content of the technical solution of the present invention shall fall within the scope of protection of the technical solution of the present invention.

Claims

1. A deep-sea reprecipitated sediment thickness monitoring device, characterized in that: It comprises a box body (1) with an open top, wherein the box body (1) is divided into a sampling box 1 (2) and a sampling box 2 (3) via a partition (11); The bottom plate 1 (21) of the sampling box 1 (2) is flat, and the upper surface of the bottom plate 1 (21) is covered with a logo pattern (211), wherein the logo pattern (211) is composed of a plurality of color blocks of equal area; The bottom plate 2 (31) of the sampling box 2 (3) is in the shape of a folded plate.

2. The deep sea reprecipitation sediment thickness monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The identification pattern (211) is in the shape of a chessboard, and adjacent color blocks have different colors.

3. The deep sea reprecipitation sediment thickness monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom plate 2 (31) is bent to form a plurality of open slots (311) which are wider at the top and narrower at the bottom; the sizes of the open slots (311) are the same.

4. The deep sea reprecipitated sediment thickness monitoring device according to claim 3, characterized in that: An inclined grid ruler (3111) for gridding the sediment accumulation surface is provided on the side wall of the open groove (311).

5. The deep sea reprecipitation sediment thickness monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: It also includes a scale (4) with one end hingedly mounted on the side of the box (1) for direct reading.

6. The deep sea reprecipitated sediment thickness monitoring device according to claim 1, characterized in that: On two symmetrical sides of the box body (1), protruding edges (5) are formed to protrude outwards and are used to provide force application points for the external deployment and recovery structure.

7. A deep-sea reprecipitated sediment thickness monitoring system, applicable to the deep-sea reprecipitated sediment thickness monitoring sampling device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: It comprises an image acquisition system for respectively collecting plane image information in sampling box 1 (2) and sediment shape and size information in sampling box 2 (3), and a data processing system electrically connected to the image acquisition system.

8. A method for monitoring the thickness of deep-sea reprecipitated sediments, characterized in that: The deep-sea reprecipitation sediment thickness monitoring system according to claim 7 comprises the following steps: S1: Deploy the deep-sea reprecipitated sediment thickness monitoring sampling device on the seabed; S2: collect images before, during and after mining through the image acquisition system; S3: The data processing system processes the collected data and calculates the sediment coverage in sampling box one (2) and / or the three-dimensional size of the sediment in sampling box two (3); S4: The average volume and thickness of deep-sea reprecipitated sediments are calculated by converting the sediment coverage and / or sediment three-dimensional dimensions obtained by calculation in S3.

9. The method for monitoring the thickness of deep-sea reprecipitated sediments according to claim 8, characterized in that: In step S3, when the sediment thickness a is less than or equal to 1 mm, the sediment coverage is obtained by changing the color of the identification pattern (211) and then the specific thickness of the sediment is calculated; when the sediment thickness a is greater than 1 mm and less than 5 cm, the three-dimensional size of the sediment in the sampling box 2 (3) is obtained by combining the inclined grid ruler (3111) with the three-dimensional model conversion technology, and in step S4, the sediment coverage and the three-dimensional size of the sediment are processed and converted by the data processing system to obtain the sediment thickness size; when the sediment thickness a is greater than or equal to 5 cm, the sediment thickness size in the box (1) is directly read by the ruler (4).

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