Submarine pipeline intelligent detection system and method based on multi-mode unmanned system

Abstract

The invention relates to a submarine pipeline intelligent detection system and method based on a multi-mode unmanned system. A submarine pipeline intelligent detection system based on a multi-mode unmanned system comprises a mother boat, the mother boat communicates with a base station arranged on the shore, and at least one son boat and at least one underwater robot are carried on the mother boat; the mother boat is provided with a navigation control module, a navigation positioning module and a submarine pipeline detection module, and the submarine pipeline detection module is used for detecting and polling pipelines in an open sea and deep water sea area; a sailing control unit and a first detection unit are arranged on the single sub-boat, and the first detection unit is used for detecting and polling pipelines in a shallow sea area; a single underwater robot is provided with a motion control unit, an underwater communication unit and a second detection unit, and pipeline abnormal points are finely detected through the second detection unit. And pipelines in deep and shallow water areas can be automatically detected, so that the inspection of submarine pipelines in the whole sea area is realized.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the technical field of pipeline inspection, in particular to an intelligent detection system and method for submarine pipelines based on a multi-modal unmanned system. Background Art

[0002] Submarine pipelines are the core facilities for transporting marine oil and gas resources, and their safe operation is crucial for energy security and environmental protection. In order to ensure the normal operation of submarine oil pipelines, regular inspections are required.

[0003] In the prior art, a regular inspection method for submarine pipelines usually uses a towed device in cooperation with divers. The towed device is used to detect submarine pipelines in deep sea areas, and divers are used to detect submarine pipelines in shallow sea areas, so as to achieve pipeline detection in the entire sea area. However, this inspection method mainly has the following problems:

[0004] (1) Diver operations are restricted by water depth and sea conditions, with great potential safety hazards and high operation risks;

[0005] (2) Affected by the detection range of the detection device carried on the towed device, its detection coverage is small, and the same area needs to be repeatedly inspected to ensure the accuracy of the detection results; at the same time, affected by the draft of the towed device (such as an inspection ship), it is difficult to perform pipeline detection work in nearshore areas, there are detection blind spots, and the operation efficiency is low;

[0006] (3) Since the inspection time is relatively long, it requires high labor costs and equipment costs, resulting in increased operation costs. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Based on this, the applicant provides an intelligent detection system and method for submarine pipelines based on a multi-modal unmanned system in view of the problems of time-consuming, laborious, low detection efficiency, high operation cost and high operation risk existing in the above-mentioned existing inspection methods in the prior art.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows:

[0009] An intelligent detection system for submarine pipelines based on a multi-modal unmanned system, including a mother boat, which communicates with a base station arranged on the shore, and at least one sub-boat and at least one underwater robot are carried on the mother boat;

[0010] A navigation control module, a navigation and positioning module and a submarine pipeline detection module are configured on the mother boat, and the submarine pipeline detection module is used to detect and inspect pipelines in the deep sea area of the open sea;

[0011] A navigation control unit and a first detection unit are configured on a single sub-boat, and the first detection unit is used to detect and inspect pipelines in the shallow sea area;

[0012] A motion control unit, an underwater communication unit, and a second detection unit are configured on a single underwater robot, and the second detection unit is used to finely detect pipeline abnormal points.

[0013] As a further improvement of the above technical solution:

[0014] A networking communication radio is configured in the base station.

[0015] A communication module is configured on the mother boat, and the communication module transmits signals with the networking communication radio, thereby realizing communication between the mother boat and the base station.

[0016] A communication and navigation unit is configured on a single sub-boat, and the communication and navigation unit transmits signals with the networking communication radio, thereby realizing communication between the corresponding sub-boat and the base station.

[0017] An electromagnetic release and recovery module is configured on the mother boat, and the sub-boats and underwater robots carried on the mother boat are released or recovered through the electromagnetic release and recovery module.

[0018] Several first magnetic adsorption interfaces and several second magnetic adsorption interfaces are cooperatively installed on the side of the mother boat. A single first magnetic adsorption interface adsorbs or releases the corresponding sub-boat under the control of the electromagnetic release and recovery module, and a single second magnetic adsorption interface adsorbs or releases the corresponding underwater robot under the control of the electromagnetic release and recovery module.

[0019] The subsea pipeline detection module includes a first sonar component.

[0020] The first detection unit includes a second sonar component and a shallow profiler.

[0021] The second detection unit includes a third sonar component, a pulsed eddy current sensor, a laser scanner, an underwater camera, and a magnetic gradiometer.

[0022] An inspection method using the above intelligent inspection system for subsea pipelines based on a multi-modal unmanned system includes the following steps:

[0023] S1. The base station sends a first inspection task signal to the mother boat;

[0024] S2. According to the received first inspection task signal, the mother boat sails to one of the berthing areas arranged on the seabed with sub-boats and underwater robots and berths;

[0025] S3. After arriving at the corresponding berthing area, the mother boat releases the sub-boats, and the mother boat and the sub-boats respectively conduct inspections along their respective assigned pipeline sections until the corresponding inspection tasks are completed;

[0026] The target pipeline is detected underwater in real time by the first detection unit and the subsea pipeline detection module, and the detection results are fed back. When an abnormal point is detected, it is recorded;

[0027] S4. After the inspection tasks of both the mother boat and the sub-boat are completed, both the mother boat and the sub-boat return to the initial mooring area, and the sub-boat re-attaches to the corresponding first magnetic adsorption interface, thus recovering the sub-boat;

[0028] S5. The base station sends an abnormal point detection signal to the mother boat. The mother boat sails to the target position according to the abnormal point detection signal, and then releases the underwater robot. The underwater robot reaches one of the abnormal point positions according to the abnormal point detection instruction issued by the mother boat, and detects and takes pictures of the abnormal point through the second detection unit, so as to confirm the situation of the abnormal point;

[0029] S6. After all abnormal points are detected and confirmed, the mother boat recovers the underwater robot, and the mother boat returns to the port with the sub-boat and the underwater robot.

[0030] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0031] The structure of the present invention is compact and reasonable, and the operation is convenient. By setting the mother boat, the sub-boat and the underwater robot, based on the information sharing and collaborative operation among unmanned devices, it is possible to realize the segmented and hierarchical detection of subsea pipelines, thereby effectively improving the detection efficiency and detection accuracy; through the combination mode of the mother boat and the sub-boat, it is possible to detect pipelines in both deep and shallow waters, so as to realize the detection of subsea pipelines in the entire sea area.

[0032] In the present invention, the mother boat, the sub-boat and the underwater robot can all perform unmanned automatic operations, and no manual operation is required during their inspection process, which can improve the detection efficiency of pipelines, thereby reducing the time cost and economic cost.

[0033] The inspection method of the present invention can improve the detection efficiency and reliability of subsea pipelines through a hierarchical detection strategy and intelligent data analysis, and can achieve high-precision detection, and is applicable to the operation and maintenance of long-distance subsea pipelines in complex marine environments. Description of the Drawings

[0034] Figure 1 It is a schematic structural diagram of the inspection system of the present invention.

[0035] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of the present invention in the working state.

[0036] Figure 3 It is a flowchart of the inspection method of the present invention.

[0037] Among them: 1. Mother boat; 2. Sub-boat; 3. Underwater robot; 4. Base station; 5. Mooring area. Detailed implementation manners

[0038] The following will describe the detailed implementation manners of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] The structure and functions of the present invention are as follows:

[0040] As Figure 1 - Figure 2 shown, an intelligent detection system for submarine pipelines based on a multi-modal unmanned system in this embodiment includes a mother boat 1. The mother boat 1 communicates with a base station 4 arranged on the shore. At least one sub-boat 2 and at least one underwater robot 3 are carried on the mother boat 1. A navigation control module, a navigation and positioning module, and a submarine pipeline detection module are configured on the mother boat 1 to detect and inspect pipelines in deep-sea and deep-water areas through the submarine pipeline detection module. A navigation control unit and a first detection unit are configured on a single sub-boat 2 to detect and inspect pipelines in shallow-water areas through the first detection unit. A motion control unit, an underwater communication unit, and a second detection unit are configured on a single underwater robot 3 to finely detect pipeline abnormal points through the second detection unit. By arranging the mother boat 1, the sub-boat 2, and the underwater robot 3, and based on information sharing and collaborative operations among unmanned devices, pipelines in both deep and shallow waters can be automatically detected, thereby realizing the inspection of submarine pipelines in the entire sea area.

[0041] In the present invention, both the mother boat 1 and the sub-boat 2 adopt unmanned boats. The mother boat 1, the sub-boat 2, and the underwater robot 3 can perform unmanned automatic operations, thereby avoiding manual underwater operations and reducing time costs and economic costs.

[0042] A networking communication radio is configured in the base station 4. The networking communication radio is used to establish communication links between the base station 4 and the mother boat 1 and the sub-boat 2. The base station 4 issues inspection tasks to the mother boat 1 and the sub-boat 2 through the networking communication radio, monitors the operating states of the mother boat 1 and the sub-boat 2, and receives detection result data in real time for data processing and analysis.

[0043] A communication module is configured on the mother boat 1. The communication module transmits signals with the networking communication radio, thereby realizing communication between the mother boat 1 and the base station 4. A communication and navigation unit is configured on a single sub-boat 2. The communication and navigation unit transmits signals with the networking communication radio, thereby realizing communication between the corresponding sub-boat 2 and the base station 4.

[0044] The mother ship 1 is equipped with an electromagnetic release and recovery module, which is used to release or recover the submersible 2 and the underwater robot 3 carried on the mother ship 1; several first magnetic adsorption interfaces and several second magnetic adsorption interfaces are installed on the side of the mother ship 1 in a matching manner. A single first magnetic adsorption interface adsorbs or releases the corresponding submersible 2 under the control of the electromagnetic release and recovery module, and a single second magnetic adsorption interface adsorbs or releases the corresponding underwater robot 3 under the control of the electromagnetic release and recovery module. The submersible 2 is arranged on the port side of the mother ship 1, and the underwater robot 3 is arranged on the starboard side of the mother ship 1; both the first magnetic adsorption interface and the second magnetic adsorption interface adsorb the corresponding equipment based on electromagnetic force.

[0045] The subsea pipeline detection module includes a first sonar component, and the first sonar component includes a first multi-beam side-scan sonar and a first image sonar. The first sonar component is used to obtain a three-dimensional topographic map around the deep-water pipeline.

[0046] The first detection unit includes a second sonar component and a shallow profiler. The second sonar component includes a multi-beam sonar and a second image sonar. Both the second sonar component and the shallow profiler are used to obtain a three-dimensional topographic map around the shallow-water pipeline.

[0047] The second detection unit includes a third sonar component, a pulsed eddy current sensor, a laser scanner, an underwater camera, and a magnetic gradiometer; the third sonar component includes a second multi-beam side-scan sonar and a forward-looking obstacle avoidance sonar. The third sonar component is used to obtain a three-dimensional topographic map around the target pipeline; the pulsed eddy current sensor is used to detect the wall thickness of the target pipeline; the laser scanner is used to obtain the surface image of the target pipeline, so as to realize the imaging of surface defects of the target pipeline; the underwater camera uses a high-precision waterproof camera to take pictures of the target pipeline, so as to obtain the image information of abnormal points on the target pipeline; the magnetic gradiometer is used to detect the magnetic field change on the target pipeline, so as to judge the corrosion condition of the target pipeline.

[0048] As Figure 2 - Figure 3 shown, using the above-mentioned intelligent subsea pipeline detection system based on a multi-modal unmanned system, this embodiment provides an inspection method, which includes the following steps:

[0049] S1. The base station 4 sends a first inspection task signal to the mother ship 1;

[0050] The first inspection task signal includes the coordinates of the target pipeline, the sectional point coordinates between the shallow water area and the deep water area, the inspection speed, the inspection voyage, the pipeline detection instruction, the submersible 2 release and recovery instruction, the underwater robot 3 release and recovery instruction, and the task start and end instruction;

[0051] The sectional point coordinates between the shallow water area and the deep water area are used to divide the boundary point between the nearshore shallow sea and the far sea deep sea;

[0052] S2. According to the received first inspection task signal, the mother ship 1 sails to one of the berthing areas 5 laid on the seabed with the submersible 2 and the underwater robot 3 on board for berthing;

[0053] S2.1. A single berthing area 5 is laid at the junction of the shallow water area and the deep water area and is close to the submarine pipeline;

[0054] After reaching the corresponding berthing area 5, the mother ship 1 releases the submersible 2. The mother ship 1 and the submersible 2 respectively conduct inspections along their respective allocated pipeline sections until the corresponding inspection tasks are completed;

[0055] The target pipeline is detected underwater in real time through the first detection unit and the submarine pipeline detection module, and the detection results are fed back. When an abnormal point is detected, it is recorded;

[0056] S3.1. The submersible 2 receives the second inspection task signal from the base station 4 and thus executes the inspection task according to the second inspection task signal;

[0057] S3.2. The base station 4 processes and analyzes the detection result data transmitted back by the first detection unit and the submarine pipeline detection module to determine whether there are abnormal points on the target pipeline. Specifically, it includes the following steps:

[0058] Preprocess the data obtained by the first sonar component and the second sonar component, and use the filtering algorithm to remove high-frequency noise and outliers;

[0059] Align the multi-view scanning data using the ICP algorithm (Iterative Closest Point), and use the Poisson reconstruction algorithm to generate a triangular mesh model of the surface of the target pipeline;

[0060] Use a 3D convolutional neural network to train the voxelized point cloud, extract the three-dimensional image features of the target pipeline, and thus obtain the abnormal points on the target pipeline (such as the positions with corrosion, depression, and sagging defects);

[0061] S3.3. As Figure 2 shown, the target pipeline is divided into a submersible inspection section and a mother ship inspection section. Among them, the submersible inspection section is located in the shallow water area and is detected by the submersible 2; the mother ship inspection section is located in the deep water area and is detected by the mother ship 1;

[0062] When the inspection tasks of both the mother ship 2 and the submersible 1 are completed, the mother ship 1 and the submersible 2 both return to the initial berthing area 5, and the submersible 1 re-attaches to the corresponding first magnetic adsorption interface to recover the submersible 2;

[0063] S5. The base station 4 sends an abnormal point detection signal to the mother boat 1. The mother boat 1 sails to the target position according to the abnormal point detection signal, and then releases the underwater robot 3. The underwater robot 3 reaches one of the abnormal point positions according to the abnormal point detection instruction issued by the mother boat 1, and detects and takes pictures of the abnormal point through the second detection unit, so as to confirm the situation of the abnormal point and provide a reference for subsequent pipeline maintenance;

[0064] S6. After completing the detection and confirmation of all abnormal points, the mother boat 2 retrieves the underwater robot 3, and the mother boat 2 carries the sub-boat 1 and the underwater robot 3 back to the port.

[0065] The inspection method of the present invention can improve the detection efficiency and reliability of submarine pipelines and achieve high-precision detection through a hierarchical detection strategy and intelligent data analysis, and is applicable to the operation and maintenance of long-distance submarine pipelines in complex marine environments.

[0066] The above description is an explanation of the present invention, not a limitation of the invention. The scope defined by the present invention can be seen in the claims, and any form of modification can be made within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An intelligent detection system for submarine pipelines based on a multi-modal unmanned system, characterized in that: It includes a mother boat (1) which communicates with a base station (4) arranged on the shore. At least one sub-boat (2) and at least one underwater robot (3) are carried on the mother boat (1). A navigation control module, a navigation and positioning module and a submarine pipeline detection module are configured on the mother boat (1), and the submarine pipeline detection module is used to detect and inspect pipelines in the deep sea area far from the shore. A navigation control unit and a first detection unit are configured on a single sub-boat (2), and the first detection unit is used to detect and inspect pipelines in the shallow sea area. A motion control unit, an underwater communication unit and a second detection unit are configured on a single underwater robot (3), and the second detection unit is used to finely detect pipeline abnormal points.

2. The intelligent subsea pipeline inspection system based on a multimodal unmanned system according to claim 1, wherein: A networking communication radio is configured in the base station (4).

3. The intelligent subsea pipeline inspection system based on a multimodal unmanned system according to claim 2, characterized in that: A communication module is configured on the mother boat (1), and the communication module transmits signals with the networking communication radio, so as to realize the communication between the mother boat (1) and the base station (4).

4. The intelligent submarine pipeline detection system based on a multi-modal unmanned system according to claim 2, wherein: A communication and navigation unit is configured on a single sub-boat (2), and the communication and navigation unit transmits signals with the networking communication radio, so as to realize the communication between the corresponding sub-boat (2) and the base station (4).

5. The intelligent submarine pipeline detection system based on a multi-modal unmanned system according to claim 1, characterized in that: An electromagnetic release and recovery module is configured on the mother boat (1), and the sub-boat (2) and the underwater robot (3) carried on the mother boat (1) are released or recovered through the electromagnetic release and recovery module.

6. The intelligent subsea pipeline inspection system based on a multi-modal unmanned system according to claim 5, wherein: Several first magnetic adsorption interfaces and several second magnetic adsorption interfaces are cooperatively installed on the side of the mother boat (1). A single first magnetic adsorption interface adsorbs or releases the corresponding sub-boat (2) under the control of the electromagnetic release and recovery module, and a single second magnetic adsorption interface adsorbs or releases the corresponding underwater robot (3) under the control of the electromagnetic release and recovery module.

7. The intelligent subsea pipeline inspection system based on a multi-modal unmanned system according to claim 1, wherein: The submarine pipeline detection module includes a first sonar assembly.

8. The intelligent subsea pipeline inspection system based on a multimodal unmanned system according to claim 1, wherein: The first detection unit includes a second sonar assembly and a shallow profiler.

9. The intelligent subsea pipeline inspection system based on a multimodal unmanned system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second detection unit includes a third sonar assembly, a pulsed eddy current sensor, a laser scanner, an underwater camera and a magnetic gradiometer.

10. A patrol inspection method for a subsea pipeline intelligent detection system using a multi-modal unmanned system as described in claim 1, characterized in that: It includes the following steps: S1. The base station (4) sends a first inspection task signal to the mother boat (1). S2. According to the received first inspection task signal, the mother boat (1) sails to one of the berthing areas (5) arranged on the seabed with the sub-boat (2) and the underwater robot (3) and anchors. After arriving at the corresponding berthing area (5), the mother boat (1) releases the sub-boat (2), and the mother boat (1) and the sub-boat (2) respectively inspect along their respective assigned pipeline sections until the corresponding inspection tasks are completed. The target pipeline is detected underwater in real time through the first detection unit and the submarine pipeline detection module, and the detection results are fed back. When an abnormal point is detected, it is recorded. S4. When the inspection tasks of the mother boat (2) and the sub-boat (1) are both completed, the mother boat (1) and the sub-boat (2) both return to the initial berthing area (5), and the sub-boat (1) is re-adsorbed on the corresponding first magnetic adsorption interface, so as to recover the sub-boat (2). S5. The base station (4) sends an abnormal point detection signal to the mother boat (1). The mother boat (1) sails to the target position according to the abnormal point detection signal, and then releases the underwater robot (3). The underwater robot (3) reaches one of the abnormal point positions according to the abnormal point detection instruction issued by the mother boat (1), and detects and takes pictures of the abnormal point through the second detection unit, so as to confirm the situation of the abnormal point. S6. After completing the detection and confirmation of all abnormal points, the mother boat (2) retrieves the underwater robot (3), and the mother boat (2) returns to the port with the sub-boat (1) and the underwater robot (3).

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