Method and system for carrying out ballast tank inspection by using underwater vehicle
The ballast tank inspection is carried out through underwater vehicles, and the human-computer interactive interface is used to plan the area and real-time sensors to optimize the route, solving the accuracy and comprehensiveness of traditional ballast tank inspections and achieving efficient detection results.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510843658.7
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-06-23
- Publication Date
- 2025-07-25
AI Technical Summary
Traditional ballast tank inspections rely on manual experience, resulting in poor inspection accuracy and reliability, and the inspection cycle cannot be detected in time, especially in harsh environments, the comprehensiveness of the inspection is difficult to ensure.
The ballast tank inspection is carried out using underwater vehicles, the inspection area is planned through the human-machine interactive interface, unique identifiers are assigned, preset routes are generated, and routes are optimized in combination with real-time sensor data, and observation actions are controlled to achieve comprehensive and accurate detection of components in the ballast tank.
It improves the comprehensiveness and accuracy of ballast tank inspection, avoids missed inspection, ensures inspection quality, and adapts to inspection needs in complex environments.
Smart Images
Figure CN120368985A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of ballast tank inspection, specifically to a method and system for inspecting ballast tanks using an underwater vehicle. Background Art
[0002] As an important area on a ship, the inspection of the ballast tank is crucial. Currently, the inspection methods for ship ballast tanks mainly include: for old ships, inspection is carried out once every six months, and for non-old ships, once a year. The inspection can be divided into two parts: the hull components and the pipelines inside the tank. For the hull components, mainly check whether the conditions of the bulkheads, ribs, side stringers, horizontal diaphragms, bottom plates, etc. are good, and the corrosion degree of the anti-corrosion zinc blocks attached to the components, etc.; every five years, each ballast tank is inspected internally at least once in rotation to check the wall thickness, structural integrity and corrosion conditions of the ballast tank, which are used to evaluate the structural strength and durability of the ship to detect and repair potential structural problems in advance.
[0003] Traditional inspections of ballast tanks, such as the inspection of hull components and pipelines inside the tank, rely to a large extent on the experience and subjective judgment of inspectors, which may lead to differences in the assessment of the same problem by different inspectors, affecting the accuracy and reliability of the inspection. In addition, according to the current inspection cycle of inspecting old ships once every six months, non-old ships once a year, and each ballast tank being inspected internally at least once in rotation every five years, some potential and rapidly developing problems may not be detected in time. Especially in harsh navigation environments or when the ship is used intensively, problems may occur and deteriorate between inspection cycles. When inspecting the wall thickness, structural integrity and corrosion conditions of the ballast tank, due to the complex internal structure of the ballast tank, there may be some areas that are difficult to directly inspect, resulting in difficulty in ensuring the comprehensiveness of the inspection. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The purpose of the present invention is to overcome the above-mentioned disadvantages of the prior art, and provide a method and system for inspecting ballast tanks using an underwater vehicle that can improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of inspection, ensure the inspection quality, and avoid missed inspections.
[0005] The present invention is realized through the following technical solutions: A method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle includes the following steps: S1. Receive the inspection area planned by the user through the human-computer interaction interface, call the pre-loaded three-dimensional map of the ballast tank to extract the cabin structure information, and divide the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected; S2. Assign a unique identifier to each area to be inspected to obtain the identifier of the area to be inspected. The rule for assigning the unique identifier is "cabin number + position coordinates" or "structural component name + serial number"; S3. Obtain the identification of the area to be inspected and the inspection area operation parameters corresponding to each identification of the area to be inspected, and use the obtained identification of the area to be inspected as the target operation area; S4. Based on the target operation area, obtain the target area operation parameters from the corresponding inspection area operation parameters of the area to be inspected. The target area operation parameters include obstacle information of the target operation area, the size of the target operation area, and the area of interest within the target operation area; S5. Based on the obstacle information of the target operation area, use the A* algorithm to generate a preset route, avoid fixed obstacles and cover all areas of interest, and dynamically optimize the route in combination with real-time sensor data; S6. Determine the operation cycle based on the projected area of the area of interest, divide the preset route into several segments according to the operation cycle, each segment corresponding to a waypoint, and adjust the waypoint density according to the projected area of the area of interest. Among them, the larger the projected area, the smaller the waypoint spacing; S7. Determine the observation actions corresponding to each waypoint according to the heading of the underwater vehicle and the reference value of the attitude angle of the underwater vehicle; S8. Based on the preset route and the area of interest, control the heading and traveling speed of the underwater vehicle, and perform observation operations on each waypoint according to its corresponding observation action until all waypoints within the area of interest are traversed, completing the inspection of the entire area of interest.
[0006] Further, the method of dividing the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected is as follows: If it is the first inspection operation, divide the area according to the physical isolation areas in the ballast tank. If there is historical inspection data, divide the area based on the historical corrosion records or the distribution of high-risk areas. Among them, the physical isolation areas in the ballast tank include section separation interfaces or pipe concentration areas, and the high-risk areas include welding points or structural connection points.
[0007] Further, the method for obtaining the obstacle information of the target operation area is as follows: Call the CAD model or 3D map of the ballast tank to extract the fixed obstacle information. For those with historical inspection data, synchronously call the historical data of the sonar sensor of the underwater vehicle. Among them, the fixed obstacle information includes pipes and support beams.
[0008] Further, the calculation method for the size of the target operation area is as follows: Call the data of the CAD model or 3D map of the ballast tank for calculation.
[0009] Further, the method for determining the area of interest within the target operation area is as follows: Combine the historical inspection reports to mark the areas prone to corrosion as the areas of interest, or let the user mark the key inspection areas through the interaction interface. Among them, the areas prone to corrosion include welds and positions near the anti-corrosion zinc blocks.
[0010] Further, while dividing the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected, an inspection priority is set. For the first inspection operation, the default priority 0 is adopted. For those with historical inspection data, the priority is set according to the corrosion risk assessment, or the user can manually adjust the priority on the man-machine interaction interface.
[0011] Further, the method for observing each waypoint according to its corresponding observation action is as follows: Determine whether the waypoint requires left and right observation operations. If so, first perform left and right observation, and then perform front and back observation operations. If not, directly perform front and back observation operations.
[0012] Further, the left and right observation is to use the first control signal to rotate the underwater vehicle's yaw angle in the first direction to achieve circumferential observation operations in the first direction. The front and back observation is to use the second control signal to act on the underwater vehicle's pitch angle in the second direction to achieve front and back pitching swing observation operations.
[0013] Further, during the process of the underwater vehicle performing front and back observation operations on the waypoint, the actual route of the underwater vehicle is synchronously obtained, and the actual route of the underwater vehicle is compared with the preset route to obtain the offset of the underwater vehicle. Determine whether the offset of the underwater vehicle exceeds the preset offset threshold. If so, control the underwater vehicle to return to the corresponding waypoint based on the offset of the underwater vehicle. Among them, the method for obtaining the actual route of the underwater vehicle is to calculate the actual route through all the attitude angle reference values and the heading of the underwater vehicle during the navigation time from the previous waypoint to the current waypoint.
[0014] A ballast tank inspection system, the ballast tank inspection system includes a processor and a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium stores a program, and when the program is executed by the processor, it implements the method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle described above.
[0015] Compared with the prior art, the present invention has the following beneficial effects: 1. The present invention obtains the identification of the area to be inspected in the ballast tank and the operation parameters of the area to be inspected corresponding to each identification of the area to be inspected, uses the obtained identification of the area to be inspected as the target operation area, and based on the target operation area, obtains the target area operation parameters from the corresponding operation parameters of the area to be inspected. The target area operation parameters include obstacle information of the target operation area, the size of the target operation area, and the area of interest within the target operation area. Based on the target area operation parameters, a preset route is generated, the operation cycle is determined according to the projected area of the area of interest, the waypoint sequence of the area of interest is determined based on the preset route and the operation cycle, and according to the heading of the underwater vehicle and the reference value of the attitude angle of the underwater vehicle, the observation actions corresponding to each waypoint are determined. According to the preset route and the area of interest, the underwater vehicle is controlled to perform observation operations on each waypoint according to the corresponding observation actions, so as to realize the corrosion detection of the components in the ballast tank, check whether the conditions of the bulkhead, ribs, side longitudinal girders, horizontal diaphragms, bottom plates, etc. are good, improve the comprehensiveness and accuracy of the inspection, ensure the inspection quality, and avoid the situation of missed inspection.
[0016] 2. During the process of the underwater vehicle performing forward and backward observation operations on the waypoints, the actual route of the underwater vehicle is synchronously obtained, and the actual route of the underwater vehicle is compared with the preset route to obtain the offset of the underwater vehicle. It is judged whether the offset of the underwater vehicle exceeds the preset offset threshold. If so, the underwater vehicle is controlled to return to the corresponding waypoint based on the offset of the underwater vehicle to improve the accuracy of the observation operation of the underwater vehicle. Description of the Drawings
[0017] Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of the present invention. Detailed Embodiment
[0018] Referring to Figure 1 , Figure 1 is a schematic flow chart of a method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle provided by the present invention. The present invention will be further described below in conjunction with embodiments: A method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle includes the following steps: S1. Receive the inspection area planned by the user through the man-machine interface, call the pre-loaded three-dimensional map of the ballast tank to extract the cabin structure information, and divide the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected.
[0019] S2. Assign a unique identifier to each area to be inspected to obtain the identifier of the area to be inspected. The rule for assigning the unique identifier is "cabin number + position coordinates" or "structural component name + serial number".
[0020] "Compartment number + position coordinates", such as "Area1-CSP-002", "structural component name + serial number", such as "Rib_03".
[0021] S3. Obtain the inspection area identifiers to be inspected and the inspection area operation parameters corresponding to each inspection area identifier to be inspected, and use the obtained inspection area identifiers to be inspected as the target operation areas.
[0022] S4. Based on the target operation area, obtain the target area operation parameters from the corresponding inspection area operation parameters to be inspected. The target area operation parameters include the obstacle information of the target operation area, the size of the target operation area, and the area of interest within the target operation area.
[0023] S5. Based on the obstacle information of the target operation area, use the A* algorithm to generate a preset route, avoid fixed obstacles and cover all areas of interest, and dynamically optimize the route in combination with real-time sensor data.
[0024] S6. Determine the operation cycle based on the projected area of the area of interest, divide the preset route into several segments evenly according to the operation cycle, each segment corresponds to a waypoint, and adjust the waypoint density according to the projected area of the area of interest, where the larger the projected area, the smaller the waypoint spacing.
[0025] The waypoint spacing can also be fine-tuned and allocated in combination with the time required for the observation action.
[0026] S7. Determine the observation actions corresponding to each waypoint according to the heading of the underwater vehicle and the attitude angle reference value of the underwater vehicle.
[0027] The observation actions include, for example, left and right circling, pitching and swaying.
[0028] S8. Based on the preset route and the area of interest, control the heading and traveling speed of the underwater vehicle, and perform observation operations on each waypoint according to its corresponding observation action until all the waypoints within the area of interest are traversed, and the inspection of the entire area of interest is completed.
[0029] The method of dividing the ballast tank into multiple inspection areas to be inspected is as follows: if it is the first inspection operation, divide the area according to the physical isolation area in the ballast tank; if there is historical inspection data, divide the area based on the historical corrosion records or the distribution of high-risk areas. Among them, the physical isolation area in the ballast tank includes the compartment partition interface or the pipe concentration area, and the high-risk areas include the welding points or the structural connection points.
[0030] When dividing the ballast tank into multiple inspection areas to be inspected, set the inspection priority. For the first inspection operation, use the default priority 0; for those with historical inspection data, set the priority according to the corrosion risk assessment, or the user manually adjusts the priority on the man-machine interface.
[0031] The method for obtaining the obstacle information of the target operation area is to call the CAD model or 3D map of the ballast tank to extract the fixed obstacle information. For those with historical inspection data, synchronously call the historical data of the sonar sensor of the underwater vehicle. Among them, the fixed obstacle information includes pipelines and support beams.
[0032] The method for calculating the size of the target operation area is to calculate by calling the data of the ballast tank CAD model or 3D map.
[0033] The method for determining the area of interest in the target operation area is to mark the easily corroded area as the area of interest in combination with the historical inspection report, or for the user to mark the area to be inspected key points through the interactive interface. Among them, the easily corroded areas include welds and positions near the anti-corrosion zinc blocks.
[0034] The method for the underwater vehicle to perform the observation operation on each waypoint according to its corresponding observation action is as follows: Determine whether the waypoint requires left - right observation operation. If so, first perform left - right observation, and then perform front - back observation operation. If not, directly perform front - back observation operation.
[0035] The left - right observation action is to use the first control signal to perform a self - rotation movement on the yaw angle of the underwater vehicle in the first direction to achieve the circumferential observation operation in the first direction.
[0036] Set the due - front direction as the X - axis, the right - front direction as the Y - axis, and the vertical direction as the Z - axis.
[0037] Specifically, the first direction refers to the clockwise rotation direction around the Z - axis.
[0038] The front - back observation action is to use the second control signal to perform an action on the pitch angle of the underwater vehicle in the second direction to achieve the front - back pitching swing observation operation.
[0039] Specifically, the second direction refers to the clockwise rotation direction around the Y - axis.
[0040] During the process of the underwater vehicle performing the front - back, left - right observation operation on the waypoint, synchronously obtain the actual route of the underwater vehicle, compare the actual route of the underwater vehicle with the preset route, obtain the offset of the underwater vehicle, and determine whether the offset of the underwater vehicle exceeds the preset offset threshold. If so, control the underwater vehicle to return to the corresponding waypoint based on the offset of the underwater vehicle.
[0041] The method for obtaining the actual route of the underwater vehicle is as follows: Calculate the actual route through all the attitude angle reference values and the heading of the underwater vehicle during the navigation time from the previous waypoint to the current waypoint.
[0042] A ballast tank inspection system, the ballast tank inspection system includes a processor and a readable storage medium, the readable storage medium stores a program, and when the program is executed by the processor, it implements the above-mentioned method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle.
[0043] The above detailed description is a specific description of the feasible embodiments of the present invention. These embodiments are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. Any equivalent implementation or change without departing from the present invention should be included in the patent scope of this case.
Claims
1. A method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle, characterized in that, It includes the following steps: S1. Receive the inspection area planned by the user through the human-computer interaction interface, call the pre-loaded three-dimensional map of the ballast tank to extract the cabin structure information, and divide the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected; S2. Assign a unique identifier to each area to be inspected to obtain the identifier of the area to be inspected. The rule for assigning the unique identifier is "cabin number + position coordinates" or "structural component name + serial number"; S3. Obtain the identifier of the area to be inspected and the inspection area operation parameters corresponding to each identifier of the area to be inspected, and use the obtained identifier of the area to be inspected as the target operation area; S4. Based on the target operation area, obtain the target area operation parameters from the corresponding operation parameters of the area to be inspected. The target area operation parameters include the obstacle information of the target operation area, the size of the target operation area, and the area of interest within the target operation area; S5. Based on the obstacle information of the target operation area, use the A* algorithm to generate a preset route, avoid fixed obstacles and cover all areas of interest, and dynamically optimize the route in combination with real-time sensor data; S6. Determine the operation cycle based on the projected area of the area of interest, divide the preset route into several segments according to the operation cycle, each segment corresponds to a waypoint, and adjust the waypoint density according to the projected area of the area of interest. The larger the projected area, the smaller the distance between waypoints; S7. Determine the observation actions corresponding to each waypoint according to the heading of the underwater vehicle and the reference value of the attitude angle of the underwater vehicle; S8. Based on the preset route and the area of interest, control the heading and traveling speed of the underwater vehicle, and perform observation operations on each waypoint according to its corresponding observation action until all waypoints within the area of interest are traversed, and the inspection of the entire area of interest is completed.
2. The method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, wherein The method of dividing the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected is as follows: if it is the first inspection operation, divide the area according to the physical isolation area in the ballast tank; if there is historical inspection data, divide the area based on the historical corrosion records or the distribution of high-risk areas. The physical isolation area in the ballast tank includes the cabin section separation interface or the pipe concentration area, and the high-risk areas include the welding points or the structural connection points.
3. The method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, wherein The method for obtaining the obstacle information of the target operation area is to call the CAD model or three-dimensional map of the ballast tank to extract the fixed obstacle information. For those with historical inspection data, synchronously call the historical data of the sonar sensor of the underwater vehicle. The fixed obstacle information includes pipes and support beams.
4. The method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The calculation method for the size of the target operation area is to calculate by calling the data of the CAD model or three-dimensional map of the ballast tank.
5. A method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 1, characterized in that, The method for determining the area of interest within the target operation area is to mark the easily corroded area as the area of interest in combination with the historical inspection report, or the user marks the key inspection area through the interaction interface. The easily corroded areas include the welds and the positions near the anti-corrosion zinc blocks.
6. The method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 2, wherein, While dividing the ballast tank into multiple areas to be inspected, a patrol priority is set. For the first inspection operation, the default priority 0 is adopted. For those with historical inspection data, the priority is set according to the corrosion risk assessment, or the user can manually adjust the priority on the man-machine interface.
7. The method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 6, characterized in that The method for observing each waypoint according to its corresponding observation action is as follows: Determine whether the waypoint requires left-right observation. If so, first perform left-right observation and then perform front-back observation. If not, directly perform front-back observation.
8. A method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 7, characterized in that, The left-right observation is to use the first control signal to perform a self-rotation movement on the yaw angle of the underwater vehicle in the first direction to achieve the circumferential observation operation in the first direction. The front-back observation is to use the second control signal to perform an action on the pitch angle of the underwater vehicle in the second direction to achieve the front-back pitching swing observation operation.
9. The method for inspecting a ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to claim 4, characterized in that, During the process of the underwater vehicle performing the front-back observation operation on the waypoint, the actual route of the underwater vehicle is synchronously obtained, and the actual route of the underwater vehicle is compared with the preset route to obtain the offset of the underwater vehicle. Determine whether the offset of the underwater vehicle exceeds the preset offset threshold. If so, control the underwater vehicle to return to the corresponding waypoint based on the offset of the underwater vehicle. Among them, the method for obtaining the actual route of the underwater vehicle is to calculate the actual route through all the attitude angle reference values and the heading of the underwater vehicle during the navigation time from the previous waypoint to the current waypoint.
10. A ballast tank inspection system, characterized in that: The ballast tank inspection system includes a processor and a readable storage medium. The readable storage medium stores a program, and when the program is executed by the processor, it implements the method for inspecting the ballast tank using an underwater vehicle according to any one of claims 1-9.