Anchoring device for underwater docking station and using method of anchoring device

Abstract

The invention belongs to the technical field of ocean engineering underwater anchoring, and particularly relates to an anchoring device for an underwater docking station and a using method of the anchoring device. The docking station, an electric swivel, a main anchoring cable, a transfer cabin, a releaser and a gravity anchor are sequentially connected, the transfer cabin is provided with a cable pile and a mounting interface of a wet plugging cable, the wet plugging cable is wound on the cable pile, and the cable pile is connected with the cable pile. And one end of the wet plugging cable is mounted at the mounting interface of the wet plugging cable, and a plug at the other end of the wet plugging cable is pulled by the manned submersible to be connected to the junction box during underwater connection. According to the invention, reliable connection between the docking station and the submarine junction box can be realized, and continuous energy supply and bidirectional data communication functions are provided for the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). The anchoring device has excellent ocean current adaptability, and the stability and the success rate of UUV butt joint are improved. A sea test shows that connection between the submarine junction box and the docking station and connection operation between the submarine junction box and the UUV can be effectively achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of underwater anchoring technology in marine engineering. Specifically, it is an anchoring device for underwater docking docks and its usage method, which can be used for underwater docking, lodging, charging and data exchange of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVs). Background Technology

[0002] With the deepening of marine resource exploration and development, UUVs, as a highly efficient marine exploration and operation tool, are increasingly widely used in civilian fields (such as submarine pipeline inspection, scientific research, and construction support) and military fields (such as reconnaissance and intelligence gathering). However, the limited self-contained power of UUVs severely restricts their underwater operation time and operating radius.

[0003] Currently, there are two main ways to replenish energy and exchange data for UUVs: one is to return to a surface mother ship or shore-based base, which is time-consuming, energy-intensive, and disrupts mission continuity; the other is to connect with an underwater docking device for underwater docking. The latter has significant advantages in terms of economy and operational efficiency and has become the main development direction.

[0004] Existing underwater docking devices mostly employ a guide-type structure, but their docking success rate is easily affected by ocean currents. To address this issue, designs for floating docking devices that can steer or autonomously adjust their orientation with ocean currents have emerged. Such devices require a stable and reliable mooring and positioning system that can both secure them near the seabed and allow them to adjust their attitude with the currents within a certain range, ensuring that the docking inlet is always facing the current, facilitating UUV entry.

[0005] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a mooring device and method specifically for this type of suspended underwater dock to provide a stable mooring foundation and integrate energy and data transmission links, ultimately providing a long-term, continuous, and reliable underwater support platform for UUVs. Summary of the Invention

[0006] To meet the operational requirements of floating docking devices, the present invention aims to provide an anchoring device for underwater docking stations and its usage method. This anchoring device has a reasonable structure, is easy to deploy, has high stability, and integrates power supply and communication functions.

[0007] The objective of this invention is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0008] The mooring device of the present invention includes an electric swivel ring, a main mooring cable, a transfer compartment, a wet-plug cable, a release device, and a seabed foundation anchor. One end of the electric swivel ring is connected to the docking station, one end of the main mooring cable is connected to the other end of the electric swivel ring, the other end of the main mooring cable is connected to one end of the transfer compartment, one end of the release device is connected to the other end of the transfer compartment, and the seabed foundation anchor is attached to the other end of the release device. The transfer compartment is provided with cable stakes and installation interfaces for wet-plug cables. The wet-plug cable is wound around the cable stakes, and one end of the wet-plug cable is installed at the installation interface of the wet-plug cable. The plug at the other end of the wet-plug cable is towed to the docking station by a manned submersible during underwater connection.

[0009] Wherein: the release device is two devices arranged in parallel, and the other end of the two release devices is respectively hung on the seabed foundation anchor.

[0010] The docking station has a hollow frame structure. Under the action of ocean currents, the docking station rotates around the anchor point connected to the main anchor cable and automatically maintains a current-facing state.

[0011] The seabed foundation anchor is a gravity anchor or a pile anchor, which is fixed to the seabed.

[0012] The electric swivel ring, adapter compartment, plug at the other end of the wet plug cable, and release device are all made of TC4 titanium alloy.

[0013] The method of using the underwater docking mooring device of the present invention includes a deployment process and a retrieval process:

[0014] The deployment process includes

[0015] Step A: Deploy a manned submersible, which descends to the seabed and stands by.

[0016] Step B: Connect the electric rotating ring to the dock, and deploy the dock and anchoring device into the water via the mother ship;

[0017] Step C: The manned submersible cuts the restraint rope of the wet plug cable and detaches the wet plug cable from the cable stake.

[0018] Step D: The manned submersible plugs the other end of the wet-plug cable into the junction box;

[0019] Step E: Check the working status of the docking station. If the status is normal, the manned submersible will surface and be recovered.

[0020] The recycling process includes

[0021] Step F: Deploy the manned submersible, which moves to the location of the docking box;

[0022] Step G: The manned submersible unplugs the plug at the other end of the wet plug cable and wraps the plug around the cable stake.

[0023] Step H: The release device is detached from the seabed foundation anchor, and the dock rises to the sea surface under the action of buoyancy;

[0024] Step 1: First, retrieve the docking station, then retrieve the anchoring device.

[0025] In step B, when the docking station and anchoring device are deployed into the water by the mother ship, they are in free fall. That is, during deployment, the airbags installed on the seabed foundation anchors are used to float the seabed foundation anchors near the water surface. After the docking station is deployed into the water, the airbags are detached from the seabed foundation anchors, and the docking station sinks into the seabed under the gravity of the seabed foundation anchors.

[0026] In step B, when the dock and mooring equipment are deployed into the water by the mother ship, they are lowered to the seabed by a marine winch.

[0027] In step H, the release device is detached from the seabed foundation anchor by cutting the connecting sling between the release device and the seabed foundation anchor by the manned submersible.

[0028] In step H, a delay is set before the plug at the other end of the wet-plug cable is pulled out of the junction box, and the delay time is set to one hour.

[0029] The advantages and positive effects of this invention are as follows:

[0030] 1. Provide continuous energy support: Through the path of "shore-based platform - observation network - docking station - mooring device", continuous power supply to the underwater docking station is achieved, which enables frequent and efficient charging of UUVs, greatly extending the underwater operation time of UUVs and realizing true long-term stationing operations.

[0031] 2. Ensure reliable data exchange: The communication link enables high-speed, high-capacity real-time data transmission or asynchronous exchange between the UUV and the surface control center, improving operational efficiency.

[0032] 3. Simplified structure and high reliability: Compared with the traditional solution that requires an additional active steering mechanism, the present invention uses natural ocean currents and electric rotating rings to achieve guidance, eliminating the need for complex power and control systems, reducing the failure rate, and improving the overall system reliability and economy.

[0033] 4. Strong adaptability to ocean currents: In areas with ocean currents, the docking station can always be in a current-facing state, which facilitates UUV docking. Attached Figure Description

[0034] Figure 1This is a front view of the anchoring device of the present invention;

[0035] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the anchoring device and the docking station of the present invention;

[0036] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the connection between the anchoring device and the connecting box of the present invention;

[0037] Among them: 1 is the electric swivel ring, 2 is the main anchor mooring cable, 3 is the transfer compartment, 4 is the wet plug-in cable, 5 is the release device, 6 is the gravity anchor, 7 is the docking dock, 8 is the docking box, and 9 is the cable stake. Detailed Implementation

[0038] The preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood that the preferred embodiments described herein are for illustration and explanation only and are not intended to limit the present invention.

[0039] like Figures 1-3 As shown, the mooring device of the present invention includes an electric swivel ring 1, a main mooring cable 2, a transfer chamber 3, a wet-plug cable 4, a release device 5, and a seabed foundation anchor. One end of the electric swivel ring 1 is connected to the docking station 7, one end of the main mooring cable 2 is connected to the other end of the electric swivel ring 1, the other end of the main mooring cable 2 is connected to one end of the transfer chamber 3 via a watertight cable, one end of the release device 5 is connected to the other end of the transfer chamber 3 via a watertight cable, and the seabed foundation anchor is hung on the other end of the release device 5. The transfer chamber 3 is provided with cable stakes 9 and installation interfaces for the wet-plug cable 4. The wet-plug cable 4 is wound around the cable stakes 9, and one end of the wet-plug cable 4 is installed at the installation interface of the wet-plug cable. The plug at the other end of the wet-plug cable 4 is towed to the docking station 8 by a manned submersible during underwater connection.

[0040] In this embodiment, the electrical swivel ring 1, the adapter compartment 3, the plug at the other end of the wet plug cable 4, and the release device 5 are all made of TC4 titanium alloy, which has good corrosion resistance and can meet the requirements of long-term underwater operation.

[0041] In this embodiment, the electric rotating ring 1 can rotate 360° under load, which allows the docking dock 7 to rotate around the main anchor mooring cable 2.

[0042] The main anchor mooring cable 2 is made of high-strength, corrosion-resistant synthetic fiber or steel wire cable. In this embodiment, the main anchor mooring cable 2 is a duplex stainless steel load-bearing submarine cable.

[0043] In this embodiment, two release devices 5 are arranged in parallel to improve reliability. The other ends of the two release devices 5 are respectively hung on the seabed foundation anchor.

[0044] In this embodiment, the transfer compartment 3 is a deep-sea pressure-resistant sealed compartment, serving as the central hub of the entire underwater mooring system. Internally, it integrates:

[0045] (1) Network Switching and Communication Gateway Module. It has a built-in industrial-grade Ethernet switch to build an underwater local area network (LAN). On the one hand, it establishes a high-speed backbone communication link with the surface through optical fiber; on the other hand, it connects to the junction box 8 below through a wet-plug electrical / optical connector to provide a network access point for the UUV, realizing data upload and download and command transmission.

[0046] (2) Release control unit: This is the core functional module. It receives remote control commands from the water surface or independently controls two redundantly configured release actuators (such as electromagnet-driven, fuse-driven, or motor-driven releases) according to preset conditions (such as emergency situations).

[0047] In this embodiment, the wet pluggable cable 4 is a pluggable oil-filled cable suitable for the seabed. It contains power cables and network fiber communication lines, and connects the transfer compartment 3 and the junction box 8 to achieve continuous energy delivery and high-speed bidirectional data transmission.

[0048] The seabed foundation anchor is a gravity anchor 6 or a pile anchor, which is fixed to the seabed; in this embodiment, the seabed foundation anchor is a gravity anchor 6, which provides the final foundation fixation for the overall anchoring device.

[0049] In this embodiment, the docking station 7 has a hollow frame structure with good hydrodynamic characteristics. The docking station 7 is connected to the mooring device via an electric rotating ring 1. This design allows the docking station 7 to rotate freely around the mooring point connected to the main anchor cable 2 under the action of ocean currents, automatically maintaining a current-facing state. The docking station 7 is equipped with a guide cover and a locking mechanism inside for guiding and capturing UUVs; this is prior art and will not be described in detail here.

[0050] The present invention relates to a method for using an underwater docking mooring device, including a deployment process and a retrieval process;

[0051] The deployment process includes:

[0052] Step A: Deploy the manned submersible and descend to the seabed to stand by.

[0053] Step B involves connecting the electric rotating ring 1 to the docking dock 7, and then deploying the docking dock 7 and the mooring device into the water via the mother ship. Deployment can be done via free fall or by using a ship's winch to lower the docking dock 7 and the mooring device to the seabed. For free fall deployment, the gravity anchor 6 is first floated near the water surface using an airbag installed on the seabed foundation anchor. After the docking dock 7 is deployed, the airbag is detached from the gravity anchor 6, and the docking dock 7 sinks to the seabed under the gravity of the gravity anchor 6. The advantage of using a winch is that the deployment position can be adjusted twice. For sea trials, it is necessary to connect with the underwater docking box 8, which requires high positional accuracy. Therefore, a winch is used to deploy the docking dock to the designated position on the seabed.

[0054] Step C: The manned submersible cuts the restraint rope of the wet plug cable 4 and detaches the wet plug cable 4 from the cable stake 9.

[0055] Step D: The manned submersible plugs the other end of the wet plug cable 4 into the junction box 8.

[0056] Step E: Check the working status of docking station 7. If the status is normal, the manned submersible will surface and be recovered.

[0057] The recycling process includes:

[0058] Step F: Deploy the manned submersible, and move the manned submersible to the position of docking box 8;

[0059] Step G: The manned submersible unplugs the plug at the other end of the wet plug cable 4 and wraps the plug around the cable stake 9.

[0060] Step H: The manned submersible cuts the connecting sling between the release device 5 and the gravity anchor 6, thus detaching the release device 5 from the gravity anchor 6. Alternatively, a delayed release can be set before the plug at the other end of the wet plug cable 4 is pulled out of the docking box 8, with the delay time set to one hour. After the release device 5 is released, the docking dock 7 floats to the sea surface under the action of buoyancy.

[0061] Step I: First, retrieve docking station 7, then retrieve the anchoring device.

[0062] This invention enables a reliable connection between the docking station 7 and the seabed docking box 8, thereby providing a continuous power supply and two-way data communication for the unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV). The mooring device possesses excellent current adaptability, which helps improve the stability and success rate of UUV docking. Sea trials have shown that this invention can effectively connect the seabed docking box 8 to the docking station 7 and facilitate docking operations with the UUV.

[0063] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various modifications and variations to this invention without departing from its spirit and scope. Therefore, if these modifications and variations fall within the scope of the claims of this invention and their equivalents, this invention also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. An anchoring device for an underwater dock, characterized in that: The system includes an electric swivel ring (1), a main anchor mooring cable (2), a transfer compartment (3), a wet plug cable (4), a release device (5), and a seabed foundation anchor. One end of the electric swivel ring (1) is connected to the docking station (7). One end of the main anchor mooring cable (2) is connected to the other end of the electric swivel ring (1). The other end of the main anchor mooring cable (2) is connected to one end of the transfer compartment (3). One end of the release device (5) is connected to the other end of the transfer compartment (3). The seabed foundation anchor is hung on the other end of the release device (5). The transfer compartment (3) is provided with cable stakes (9) and installation interfaces for wet plug cables (4). The wet plug cable (4) is wrapped around the cable stakes (9). One end of the wet plug cable (4) is installed at the installation interface of the wet plug cable. The plug at the other end of the wet plug cable (4) is towed to the docking box (8) by a manned submersible when connected underwater.

2. The anchoring device for underwater docking stations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The release device (5) consists of two devices arranged in parallel, with the other ends of the two release devices (5) respectively attached to the seabed foundation anchor.

3. The anchoring device for underwater docking stations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The docking dock (7) is a hollow frame structure. Under the action of the ocean current, the docking dock (7) rotates around the anchor point connected to the main anchor cable (2) and automatically maintains the state facing the current.

4. The anchoring device for underwater docking stations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The seabed foundation anchor is a gravity anchor (6) or a pile anchor, which is fixed to the seabed.

5. The anchoring device for underwater docking stations according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plug and release device (5) at the other end of the electric swivel ring (1), the adapter compartment (3), and the wet plug cable (4) are all made of TC4 titanium alloy.

6. A method of using the underwater docking mooring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: This includes the deployment and recovery processes; The deployment process includes Step A: Deploy the manned submersible, which descends to the seabed and stands by. Step B: Connect the electric rotating ring (1) to the dock (7), and deploy the dock (7) and the anchoring device into the water via the mother ship; Step C, the manned submersible cuts the restraint rope of the wet plug cable (4) and detaches the wet plug cable (4) from the cable stake (9); Step D, the manned submersible plugs the other end of the wet plug cable (4) into the junction box (8); Step E: Check the working status of the docking station (7). After the status is normal, the manned submersible floats up and is recovered. The recycling process includes Step F: Deploy the manned submersible, which moves to the position of the docking box (8); Step G: The manned submersible pulls out the plug at the other end of the wet plug cable (4) and wraps the plug around the cable post (9); Step H, the release device (5) is detached from the seabed foundation anchor, and the docking dock (7) floats to the sea surface under the action of buoyancy; Step I: First, retrieve the docking station (7), then retrieve the anchoring device.

7. The method of use according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step B, when the docking dock (7) and the mooring device are deployed into the water by the mother ship, they are in free fall. That is, during deployment, the airbag installed on the seabed foundation anchor first floats the seabed foundation anchor near the water surface. After the docking dock (7) is deployed into the water, the airbag is detached from the seabed foundation anchor, and the docking dock (7) sinks into the seabed under the gravity of the seabed foundation anchor.

8. The method of use according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step B, when the dock (7) and anchoring device are deployed into the water by the mother ship, they are deployed to the seabed by a ship winch.

9. The method of use according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step H, the release device (5) is disconnected from the seabed foundation anchor by cutting the connecting sling between the release device (5) and the seabed foundation anchor by the manned submersible.

10. The method of use according to claim 6, characterized in that: In step H, a delay is set before the plug at the other end of the wet plug cable (4) is pulled out of the connector box (8), and the delay time is set to one hour.

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