Underwater foundation bed leveling and material supplementing operation device and construction method

Abstract

The invention relates to the technical field of ocean engineering, and discloses an underwater foundation bed leveling and material supplementing operation device and a construction method. The device comprises a walking mechanism, a measuring mechanism, a leveling mechanism, a material supplementing mechanism and a control module. The walking mechanism is placed on the underwater foundation bed and can move. The measuring mechanism identifies the convex and concave defects of the foundation bed in real time; the leveling mechanism scrapes the protrusions through a spiral scraper. The material supplementing mechanism fills the sunken part from the working mother ship through a stone sliding hose; the control module integrates positioning and data processing functions, and realizes integrated closed-loop operation of measurement, analysis, material supplementation and leveling. The method comprises the steps of lowering and positioning, path scanning, defect identification, immediate leveling and material supplementing, and re-testing and verification. The problems that in traditional foundation bed leveling, measurement and operation are separated, efficiency is low, and precision is poor are solved, the method is suitable for the deepwater complex environment, and the leveling efficiency and quality are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine engineering technology, specifically to an underwater foundation leveling and replenishment device and construction method. Background Technology

[0002] With the continuous advancement of major underwater infrastructure construction projects such as cross-sea channels, immersed tunnels, and caisson wharves, the precise installation of heavy underwater structures has become a crucial factor in the success or failure of these projects. To ensure that structures such as immersed tubes and caissons can be stably and safely positioned in their designed locations, a high-precision, highly flat crushed stone foundation must be laid at their bottom. The flatness and elevation control accuracy of the foundation directly affect the uniformity of structural stress, watertightness, and long-term operational safety. Therefore, foundation leveling construction and its quality acceptance are indispensable core procedures in underwater engineering construction.

[0003] Currently, underwater subgrade leveling mainly adopts a segmented operation mode of "leveling first, then inspection, and then supplementary leveling." Leveling operations are usually carried out by leveling vessels or platforms, equipped with underwater leveling scrapers, crushed stone replenishment systems, and coarse adjustment mechanisms. Measurement and acceptance rely on surveying towers erected in the water, using GPS RTK positioning systems to obtain surface reference coordinates, and then combining them with underwater depth sounders or sonar scanning equipment to indirectly calculate the three-dimensional shape of the underwater subgrade. Some projects have also attempted to use ROVs (Remotely Operated Vehicles) equipped with sonar or laser scanners for post-operation inspection, but these are all "post-operation inspection" modes and cannot be carried out simultaneously with the leveling operation.

[0004] As engineering construction gradually advances into offshore and deep-water areas, traditional subgrade leveling and measurement techniques face the following problems: 1. Limited applicability of measuring towers in deep water environments: In deep water environments, measuring towers need to have extremely high structural strength and resistance to wind and waves, resulting in high manufacturing and installation costs. Furthermore, their stability decreases in deep water, leading to reduced positioning accuracy.

[0005] 2. Large positioning information transmission error: GPS signals cannot directly penetrate water bodies and need to be transmitted from the water surface to the underwater through a measuring tower. There are multiple levels of error accumulation (such as tower tilt, transducer installation deviation, underwater acoustic signal delay, etc.), which makes it difficult to meet the high-precision leveling requirements (usually within ±5cm).

[0006] 3. Separation of inspection and leveling, resulting in low efficiency: In the existing technology, leveling and inspection are two independent processes. Leveling must be completed first, and then inspection equipment (such as ROV or divers) must be dispatched for acceptance. If unqualified areas are found, the leveling equipment must be called back for rework, which leads to extended construction period, waste of resources, and high risk of secondary operation in deep water environment.

[0007] 4. Lack of real-time material replenishment capability for under-laid areas: Traditional leveling equipment does not have local material replenishment function. Material replenishment pipelines need to be re-laid or material replenishment boats need to be called in for under-laid areas. The operation is intermittent and it is difficult to achieve closed-loop control of "instant measurement, instant replenishment and leveling".

[0008] 5. Low level of automation and intelligence: Existing systems rely on manual interpretation of measurement data and operation instructions, lack real-time three-dimensional perception and autonomous decision-making capabilities, and are difficult to adapt to complex sea conditions and deep-water operation requirements.

[0009] Therefore, there is an urgent need for an underwater operation equipment that integrates high-precision positioning, three-dimensional measurement, intelligent analysis and leveling and replenishing functions to achieve a closed-loop operation of "measurement-analysis-replenishment-leveling" in order to improve the quality, efficiency and safety of deep-water bed leveling. Summary of the Invention

[0010] The purpose of this application is to address the shortcomings of the aforementioned background technology and to provide an underwater foundation leveling and replenishment operation device and construction method. The technical solution of this application is: an underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment device, comprising, A walking mechanism is placed on an underwater base and can move along the underwater base. A control cabin is provided on the walking mechanism. A measuring mechanism, mounted on a traveling mechanism, is used to identify protruding and recessed defective parts on an underwater foundation bed. A leveling mechanism, whose angle and height are adjustable, is connected to a traveling mechanism and is used to scrape off protruding defects on an underwater base bed. A feeding mechanism, which is connected to a leveling mechanism, is used to fill the depressions and defects in the underwater foundation with crushed stone. The control module, located in the control cabin, is connected to the measuring mechanism, leveling mechanism, traveling mechanism, and feeding mechanism for data transmission. It is used to control the operation of the leveling mechanism and feeding mechanism based on the identification results of the measuring mechanism.

[0011] According to the present application, an underwater foundation leveling and replenishing device is provided, wherein the replenishing mechanism includes a replenishing bin and a chute hose; the replenishing bin is disposed on a working mother ship floating above the underwater foundation; the upper end of the chute hose is connected to the replenishing bin, and the lower end is connected to the leveling mechanism.

[0012] According to the underwater bed leveling and material replenishment device provided in this application, the leveling mechanism includes a leveling scraper; the leveling scraper is a spiral leveling structure that combines leveling and crushing functions, and the leveling scraper is connected to the traveling mechanism through at least two sets of hydraulic cylinders with adjustable height and angle.

[0013] According to the underwater bed leveling and replenishing device provided in this application, the measuring mechanism includes a binocular camera mounted on a walking mechanism and a supplementary light for supplementing the visual area of ​​the binocular camera.

[0014] According to the underwater bed leveling and replenishment device provided in this application, the control module includes a positioning module; the positioning module includes a transponder installed on the control cabin for signal transmission with the water surface, a pressure sensor for collecting the water pressure at the current location of the control cabin, an electronic compass for identifying the current heading of the control cabin, and an encoder for identifying the travel distance of the walking mechanism.

[0015] This application also relates to a construction method for underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment operations, wherein the construction method utilizes the aforementioned underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment device, including: The traveling mechanism is lowered onto the underwater foundation bed to be leveled and filled with materials, and the traveling mechanism is positioned. The control walking mechanism moves along the planned path, and simultaneously scans the underwater foundation for defects during the movement, identifying protruding and recessed defect parts on the underwater foundation. When a raised defect is detected, the walking mechanism is controlled to move to the corresponding position, and the leveling mechanism is used to scrape the raised defect flat. When a dent or defect is detected, the walking mechanism is controlled to move to the corresponding position, and the material filling mechanism is used to fill the dent or defect. After the defective part is repaired, the repaired part is re-measured to determine whether it meets the leveling requirements. If it does not meet the leveling requirements, the part is leveled again in the above manner until the leveling requirements are met. This process is repeated until the leveling of all locations on the underwater foundation is completed.

[0016] According to the underwater foundation leveling and replenishment construction method provided in this application, the method for positioning the walking mechanism includes: sending an interrogation signal from the underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit on the working mother ship at the water surface to the transponder on the control cabin; the transponder sending a reply signal after receiving the interrogation signal; measuring the time from when the underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit sends the interrogation signal to when the transponder sends the reply signal; subtracting the delay time of the transponder; obtaining the slant distance from each underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit on the working mother ship to the transponder based on real-time sound velocity profile data; calculating the slant distance of each underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit relative to the transponder using a geometric positioning algorithm to obtain the planar coordinates of the transponder; calculating the depth of the control cabin relative to the current water surface based on the hydrostatic pressure formula using the pressure sensor on the control cabin; and obtaining the current heading of the control cabin based on the electronic compass on the control cabin.

[0017] According to the underwater foundation leveling and replenishment construction method provided in this application, the method of controlling the walking mechanism to move according to the planned path includes: controlling the walking mechanism to move according to the zigzag planned path, and the interval between adjacent planned paths is less than the width of the single scanning area of ​​the measuring mechanism.

[0018] According to the underwater foundation leveling and replenishment construction method provided in this application, the method for identifying protruding and recessed defective parts on the underwater foundation includes: acquiring surface images of the underwater foundation using a binocular camera on a traveling mechanism; performing data processing on the surface images to identify a reference plane representing flat parts, protruding parts representing convex parts, and recessed parts representing concave parts in the surface images; acquiring the height of the protruding parts relative to the reference plane and the depth of the recessed parts relative to the reference plane; comparing the height with a set first threshold and comparing the depth with a set second threshold; if the height is not less than the first threshold, the protruding part is determined to be a protruding defective part, requiring leveling operations, and the coordinate position of the protruding defective part is marked; otherwise, it is not a protruding defective part; if the depth and height are not less than the second threshold, the recessed part is determined to be a recessed defective part, requiring replenishment operations, and the coordinate position of the recessed defective part is marked; otherwise, it is not a recessed defective part.

[0019] According to the underwater foundation leveling and replenishment operation method provided in this application, the method of filling the depression and defect part by using a replenishment mechanism includes: identifying the volume of crushed stone required to fill the depression and defect part based on the surface image collected by a binocular camera; controlling the replenishment bin on the working mother ship at the water surface to provide the corresponding volume of crushed stone to the chute connected to the replenishment bin according to the obtained crushed stone volume; and controlling the chute to fill the depression and defect part with crushed stone.

[0020] The advantages of this application are as follows: 1. The working device of this application realizes real-time data interaction through the control module, forming a work process of measurement, analysis, leveling and replenishment. Traditional underwater foundation leveling operations usually need to be carried out in stages: first measurement, then data analysis, then deployment of leveling equipment, and finally replenishment. The process is cumbersome and prone to rework due to data delays. The integrated design of the working device of this application realizes immediate measurement and repair. After the measuring mechanism identifies defects, the leveling mechanism and the replenishment mechanism respond immediately, which greatly reduces the time for work interruption and repeated equipment deployment, improves overall efficiency, and reduces the cost waste caused by multiple reworks. 2. The walking mechanism of this application can move autonomously underwater, the measuring mechanism scans automatically, and the leveling and replenishment mechanisms operate automatically according to instructions, without the need for underwater intervention by divers. This significantly reduces the operational risks of divers in deep-water environments (such as high pressure, low temperature and low visibility), promotes the development of underwater construction towards unmanned and intelligent directions, and is in line with the current trend of automation in marine engineering. 2. This application connects the mother ship to the rock-lifting hose, enabling rapid replenishment of dented defects. Traditional replenishment requires separate deployment of pipelines or vehicles, which is complex and time-consuming. In contrast, this application directly uses the rock-lifting hose to transport crushed stone from the mother ship to a specific underwater location, avoiding the problem of pipeline redeployment. This not only simplifies the replenishment process but also improves replenishment accuracy (the mother ship stores a large amount of crushed stone for continuous supply) and reduces operation time. In addition, the rock-lifting hose has a flexible design to adapt to different water depths and terrains, making it particularly suitable for deep-sea areas. 3. The leveling scraper of this application has a spiral structure, and its height and angle can be adjusted by a hydraulic cylinder. The spiral design can simultaneously level and break up, effectively handling hard protrusions on the substrate (such as agglomerated blocks or piles of gravel), which is more efficient than traditional flat scrapers. The hydraulic cylinder allows for real-time adjustment of the scraper angle and height to adapt to uneven terrain of the substrate, ensuring uniform leveling effect, reducing the need for subsequent retesting and rework, improving the overall reliability of the device, and making leveling operations more precise and faster. 4. This application employs binocular vision technology to directly acquire high-resolution three-dimensional topography of the substrate, avoiding the problems of "water column obstruction" (signal distortion caused by water disturbance or bubbles) and "insufficient resolution" (blurred sonar images) of traditional sonar scanning; the binocular camera generates accurate three-dimensional point cloud data through stereo vision algorithms, which can clearly identify millimeter-level concave and convex defects, and the measurement accuracy is improved compared with sonar; the supplementary light ensures the clarity of the image in dark water environments, thereby improving the accuracy of defect identification and reducing misjudgment and missed detection; 5. This application employs a short baseline (underwater acoustic), pressure, and odometer fusion positioning technology, eliminating the need for underwater measurement towers. Traditional positioning requires the deployment of fixed measurement towers, which is costly and difficult to deploy in deep-sea environments. This application achieves real-time positioning with centimeter-level accuracy by using a transponder and an underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit to obtain slant range, a pressure sensor to calculate depth, an electronic compass to determine heading, and an encoder to measure travel distance. This fusion method reduces equipment costs and deployment difficulty, making it particularly suitable for deep-water operations where GPS signals are unavailable. The positioning module ensures precise control of the travel path, improving the positioning accuracy during leveling and material replenishment. 6. This application transforms the device's functions into a systematic construction method, achieving full-process automation. Through the operation process of planned path walking, synchronous scanning, real-time leveling / replenishment, and retesting, it solves the problem of low efficiency in the traditional "segmented" process. The method of this application supports unmanned operation, with the control module automatically executing all steps. The retesting stage ensures the quality of the finishing work, and the work continues only after the leveling requirements are met. This reduces the risk and error of human intervention, promotes the intelligentization of underwater construction, and is suitable for large-scale subgrade projects. 7. This application obtains accurate slant distance and plane coordinates by measuring the round-trip time of underwater acoustic signals, subtracting delays, and combining sound velocity profiles. It then supplements depth and heading data with pressure sensors and electronic compasses. It has high reliability in deep water environments, avoids the limitations of traditional measurement towers, has high positioning accuracy, reduces dependence on external equipment, and improves the adaptability of the device in complex sea conditions. 8. The path planning in this application ensures that no underwater subgrade is missed during scanning. By setting a zigzag path with intervals smaller than the width of a single scan, overlapping coverage of the scanning area is achieved, avoiding missed defects (traditional straight paths may miss edge defects due to excessive intervals); the integrity of measurement data is improved, thereby enhancing the overall quality of leveling and replenishment, and reducing the number of retests and rework operations; 9. This application achieves high-precision defect identification. It directly extracts three-dimensional morphological data through image processing algorithms, calculates the height of protrusions and the depth of depressions, and automatically compares them with preset thresholds, avoiding subjective judgment errors. The identification accuracy is much higher than that of sonar. Automated identification supports the operation process of immediate testing and repair, making leveling and material replenishment operations more timely and accurate, and reducing manual analysis time. 10. This application achieves precise quantitative material replenishment. By calculating the volume of the depression through binocular visual data, the amount of crushed stone provided by the mother ship's replenishment bin is controlled and filled in situ through the chute hose. This solves the problem of excessive or insufficient material replenishment in traditional replenishment, avoids material waste and secondary repairs. The chute hose connection method is flexible, and material replenishment can be carried out continuously without interrupting the operation, which improves efficiency. It is especially suitable for local repair of large-area foundation beds.

[0021] This application deeply integrates measurement, leveling, material replenishment, and positioning technologies, achieving high efficiency, precision, and intelligence in underwater subgrade leveling operations. It not only improves operational efficiency and quality but also reduces costs and risks, making it suitable for complex environments such as deep-sea areas. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 : Schematic diagram of the underwater foundation leveling and fabric laying device of this application; The components are: 1—Control cabin; 2—Binocular camera; 3—Leveling scraper; 4—Hydraulic cylinder; 5—Working mother ship; 6—Stone chute hose; 7—Transponder; 8—Underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit; 9—Pressure sensor. Detailed Implementation

[0023] The embodiments of this application are described in detail below, wherein the same or similar reference numerals denote the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functions throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary and intended to explain this application, and should not be construed as limiting this application.

[0024] In the description of this application, it should be understood that the terms "longitudinal", "lateral", "length", "width", "thickness", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0025] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0026] The present application will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0027] This application provides an underwater foundation leveling and filling device. This device is used to level underwater foundations, including scraping down protruding parts and filling in depressions with material to ensure the final flatness of the underwater foundation meets design requirements. The device integrates multiple functional modules for underwater self-propelled movement, measurement, leveling, and filling, enabling automatic leveling of underwater foundations. Compared to traditional underwater foundation leveling methods, this device significantly improves efficiency and reduces construction costs.

[0028] Specifically, such as Figure 1 As shown, the underwater subgrade leveling and replenishing device of this application includes a traveling mechanism, a measuring mechanism, a leveling mechanism, a replenishing mechanism, and a control cabin 1 mounted on the traveling mechanism. The control cabin 1 houses a control module. The traveling mechanism can be a tracked or wheeled structure (this application uses a tracked type), which is lowered and rests on the underwater subgrade and can move along the subgrade under the command of the control module. The measuring mechanism, leveling mechanism, and replenishing mechanism are all integrated and mounted on the frame of the traveling mechanism. The control module establishes a data connection with the measuring mechanism, leveling mechanism, traveling mechanism, and replenishing mechanism via wired or wireless data transmission, forming a centralized control system.

[0029] The underwater subgrade leveling and filling device of this application constructs a closed-loop control system integrating perception, decision-making, and execution. The measuring mechanism perceives the surface morphology of the subgrade in real time; the control module analyzes and processes the perceived data, identifies defects, and generates operation instructions; the traveling mechanism carries the entire device and positions it precisely; the leveling mechanism and the filling mechanism respectively perform the tasks of scraping off protrusions and filling depressions.

[0030] During actual construction, after the control module is powered on, it initializes all mechanisms. Operators can send a start command to the control module via the monitoring terminal on the surface work vessel 5. The control module then controls the traveling mechanism to move along a preset path and simultaneously starts the measuring mechanism for continuous scanning. Measurement data is transmitted back to the control module in real time for analysis. Once a defect is identified, the control module immediately plans the work sequence: first, it controls the traveling mechanism to move to the defect coordinates, and then, depending on the defect type (protrusion or depression), it starts the leveling mechanism or the material replenishment mechanism to perform the work. After the work is completed, the measuring mechanism can be controlled to re-measure the repaired area to verify the effect.

[0031] The working device described in this application integrates the traditionally separate processes of measurement, leveling, and material replenishment into a single unit. Through a control module, it automates these processes, completely transforming the traditional segmented workflow. This enables immediate measurement and repair, significantly reducing equipment scheduling, deployment, and waiting time, resulting in a substantial increase in operational efficiency. Furthermore, real-time retesting reduces the number of rework operations. The entire process is autonomously coordinated by the control module, eliminating the need for underwater divers. This significantly reduces the operational risks for divers in deep water, high-pressure, and low-visibility environments, driving underwater construction towards intelligent and unmanned operations.

[0032] In some embodiments of this application, this invention has optimized the aforementioned feeding mechanism, specifically, as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the essential example's feeding mechanism includes a feeding bin (e.g., 0.5m³). 3 The system includes a feed hopper and a chute hose 6 (e.g., inner diameter 150mm, length configured according to water depth, maximum support 50m water depth). A feed hopper is located on the floating support vessel 5 and is used to store crushed stone (e.g., particle size 20-40mm). The upper end of the chute hose 6 connects to the outlet of the feed hopper, and the lower end extends underwater and is fixedly connected to the frame of the leveling mechanism, allowing its outlet to be aligned with the recessed area requiring feed. A feed pump (e.g., flow rate 5-20m³ / h) is installed inside the feed hopper to control the amount of crushed stone dispensed. 3 ( / h adjustable). The lower end of the sluice hose 6 is connected to the leveling scraper 3. During use, the lower end of the sluice hose 6 can be adjusted by adjusting the position of the leveling scraper 3 so that it is directly facing the concave defect below.

[0033] The feeding mechanism in this embodiment utilizes the advantages of gravity conveying and surface storage. Crushed stone is output from the feeding bin on the mother ship 5 via a feeding pump, and under the action of gravity, it smoothly slides down to the underwater work point through the flexible stone-carrying hose 6. Placing the heavy feeding bin on the mother ship 5 greatly reduces the load and power consumption of the underwater walking mechanism, making its movement more flexible.

[0034] In actual operation, when the control module determines that a replenishment operation is required, it will send an instruction to the replenishment hopper control system on the working mother ship 5, and the replenishment pump will start to transport the crushed stone in the replenishment hopper to the chute hose 6. At the same time, the control module controls the walking mechanism to make fine adjustments to ensure that the lower outlet of the chute hose 6 is aligned with the top of the concave defect for precise filling.

[0035] In this embodiment, the sluice hose 6 is connected to the working mother ship 5, which enables precise material replenishment for depression defects. Compared with the traditional method, which requires the special deployment of a material replenishment ship or the re-laying of pipelines, the operation of this embodiment can be carried out at any time without interrupting the leveling operation. It has a fast response speed and a smooth operation process, which solves the problem of the need to redeploy pipelines for traditional material replenishment. It is especially suitable for repairing scattered depressions.

[0036] In other embodiments of this application, the leveling mechanism described above has been optimized, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the leveling mechanism in this embodiment includes a leveling scraper 3 (e.g., 0.6m in diameter and 2.2m in length, driven to rotate by a hydraulic motor) and at least two sets of hydraulic cylinders 4 (e.g., stroke ±20cm). The leveling scraper 3 is designed with a spiral structure, referring to the Chinese invention patent entitled "Underwater Subgrade Spiral Scraper Leveling System and Leveling Method" with patent number "CN119956718A". One end of the two or more sets of hydraulic cylinders 4 is hinged to the frame of the traveling mechanism, and the other end is hinged to the mounting base of the leveling scraper 3. The overall height of the leveling scraper 3 and its tilt angle relative to the subgrade plane are independently adjusted by the extension and retraction of the cylinders.

[0037] In this embodiment, the spiral leveling scraper 3 has a continuous curved cutting edge. During the leveling process, its contact with the substrate is gradual. This not only removes loose protrusions, but the stress concentration effect of its spiral cutting edge can also break up smaller agglomerates or hard protrusions. Multiple sets of hydraulic cylinders 4 constitute a multi-dimensional posture adjustment system, allowing the scraper to flexibly adapt to the undulations of the substrate and ensuring that the scraper plate always contacts the working surface at the optimal angle.

[0038] During actual construction, the control module calculates the target height and angle that the leveling scraper 3 needs to achieve based on the protrusion shape identified by the measuring mechanism. Then, the control module sends a signal to the hydraulic system, driving the corresponding hydraulic cylinder 4 to precisely extend and retract, adjusting the scraper to the predetermined posture. Next, the control mechanism drives the adjusted scraper across the protruding area, completing the leveling operation.

[0039] The spiral leveling structure in this embodiment combines the functions of scraping and breaking, making it more capable of handling complex protrusions and achieving a high first-pass yield. The hydraulic cylinder 4 enables stepless adjustment of height and angle, giving the device strong terrain adaptability and the ability to handle various irregular protrusions, ensuring a uniform and flat surface on the leveled base bed.

[0040] In a further embodiment of this application, the above-described measuring mechanism has been optimized, specifically, as follows: Figure 1 As shown, the measuring mechanism in this embodiment includes a pair of high-resolution binocular cameras 2 (e.g., formed by two industrial-grade waterproof cameras, resolution 2048×1536, frame rate 15fps) and LED supplementary lights (e.g., total power 200W, color temperature 6000K) installed around them. The baseline distance is 30cm, and after underwater calibration, the measurement accuracy is better than ±2cm*1.5m. The binocular cameras 2 are mounted side by side at the front end of the walking mechanism or on the mast, so that their field of view can cover the underwater base area in front of the device. The supplementary lights provide sufficient and uniform illumination for the cameras in the dim underwater environment.

[0041] In this embodiment, the binocular camera 2 takes pictures of the same area from slightly different angles. By calculating the pixel position difference (parallax) of the same feature point in the two images, and using the principle of triangulation, the three-dimensional coordinates of the point relative to the camera can be calculated. By calculating a large number of points within the entire field of view, a high-resolution three-dimensional point cloud model of the underwater substrate surface is finally generated.

[0042] During actual measurement, as the walking mechanism moves, the control module periodically triggers the binocular camera 2 to take synchronous photos and simultaneously activates the supplementary lighting. The acquired left and right image data are transmitted to the control module. The control module runs a stereo matching algorithm to generate three-dimensional point cloud data, and further identifies the reference surface, raised parts, and recessed parts through algorithms such as plane fitting and elevation analysis.

[0043] This embodiment employs binocular vision 3D measurement to directly acquire optical images and 3D morphology of the substrate surface. Its resolution is far superior to sonar, enabling clear identification of minute defects down to the millimeter level. Simultaneously, this method completely avoids the signal obstruction and attenuation problems caused by air bubbles and suspended matter in the water column during sonar scanning. The measurement results are more reliable and accurate, providing the most reliable data foundation for subsequent leveling and material replenishment.

[0044] In a preferred embodiment of this application, the control module described above has been optimized. Specifically, the control module is installed in the control cabin 1 on the walking mechanism (the control cabin 1 is a pressure-resistant sealed structure with a pressure resistance of 0.6MPa, and it houses an industrial computer, an image processing accelerator card, a transponder 7, and a power management module). The transponder 7 uses OFDM modulation technology, with a communication rate of no less than 10kbps, supports bidirectional data transmission, and is used to upload point cloud data and operational status, and receive control commands. The power management module is powered by the mother ship 5 via an umbilical cable (AC380V to DC48V), and has leakage protection and emergency power-off functions.

[0045] The control module also includes an integrated positioning module. The positioning module includes: a transponder 7 mounted on the top of the control cabin 1, a pressure sensor 9 for acquiring the current water depth and pressure, an electronic compass for identifying the heading of the device, and an encoder mounted on the drive wheels (i.e., tracks) of the walking mechanism.

[0046] In this embodiment, the transponder 7 and multiple underwater acoustic transmitters and receivers 8 on the mother ship 5 constitute a short-baseline underwater acoustic positioning system, providing absolute coordinates on a plane. The pressure sensor 9 operates based on the principle of hydrostatic pressure (… P=ρgh The depth of the device is calculated. The electronic compass provides the heading angle under true north reference. The encoder calculates the travel distance (odometer) by recording the number of drive wheel revolutions. The control module uses algorithms such as Kalman filtering to fuse these data together to obtain accurate and continuous position and attitude information of the device underwater.

[0047] In operation, the mother ship 5 periodically sends interrogation signals to the transponder 7 via the underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit 8. The pressure sensor 9, electronic compass, and encoder operate continuously. All positioning data is fed in real-time into the fusion positioning algorithm of the control module for calculation, ultimately outputting the real-time three-dimensional coordinates (X, Y, Z) and heading (Yaw) of the control cabin 1. This position information is used for path tracking, defect location calibration, and operational navigation.

[0048] This embodiment eliminates the need for expensive and cumbersome underwater measurement towers on the seabed. It adopts a fusion positioning scheme of short baseline, pressure, and odometer, which is simple to use and easy to deploy. It is suitable for deep-sea environments where equipment costs and deployment difficulties increase dramatically with water depth. While ensuring centimeter-level positioning accuracy, it significantly reduces the cost and complexity of the entire operating system.

[0049] When the underwater foundation leveling and replenishing equipment of this application is actually constructed, it shall be carried out in accordance with the following steps: S1, lowering and positioning: the equipment shall be lowered to the underwater foundation to be operated by the crane on the working mother ship 5, and the positioning system shall be started to perform initial positioning of the walking mechanism; S2. Path planning and scanning: Control the walking mechanism to move along a preset planned path (such as a zigzag pattern); during the movement, the measuring mechanism simultaneously performs continuous scanning of the underwater substrate. S3. Defect Identification and Operation: When a raised defect is identified, control the traveling mechanism to move to that position and use the leveling mechanism to scrape it flat; when a dent defect is identified, control the traveling mechanism to move to that position and use the feeding mechanism to fill it flat.

[0050] S4. Re-measurement and Closed-Loop Control: After the defective part of a certain area is repaired, the measuring mechanism is immediately controlled to re-measure the repaired part to determine whether the leveling requirements are met; if the requirements are not met, the leveling or replenishment work of the area is carried out again until the requirements are met. S5. Cyclic operation: Repeat steps S2 to S3 until the leveling and replenishment of all areas of the underwater subgrade is completed.

[0051] The immediate testing and repair method described in this application avoids the delays and errors caused by offline data processing. The retesting ensures the construction quality at every step, fundamentally reducing the overall rework rate and subsequent maintenance costs.

[0052] In some embodiments of this application, the positioning method described above is optimized. Specifically, the underwater acoustic transmitting and receiving unit 8 on the working mother ship 5 sends an interrogation signal to the transponder 7. The total time from sending the signal to receiving the reply signal is measured, and the fixed delay time inside the transponder 7 is subtracted to obtain the one-way propagation time of the sound wave in the water. Combined with the sound velocity profile data measured on site, the precise slant distance from each underwater acoustic transmitting and receiving unit 8 to the transponder 7 is calculated. Finally, multiple slant distance data are solved using a geometric algorithm (such as the least squares method) to obtain the planar coordinates (X, Y) of the transponder 7 (i.e., control cabin 1). The installation position of the transponder 7 on the control cabin 1 is fixed, and the position of the transponder 7 relative to the geometric center of the control cabin 1 is determined. Therefore, after obtaining the planar coordinates of the transponder 7, the coordinates of the geometric center of the control cabin 1 can be obtained.

[0053] The pressure data collected by pressure sensor 9 is used to calculate the hydrostatic pressure formula. h=P / (ρg) The depth of control cabin 1 relative to the water surface was calculated. Z .in, ρ The density of seawater, g It is the acceleration due to gravity. P Pressure data was collected by pressure sensor 9.

[0054] Heading acquisition: The electronic compass directly outputs the real-time heading angle of control cabin 1.

[0055] The planar coordinates of transponder 7 are relative to the planar coordinates of the underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit 8 on the working mother ship 5. Before actual construction, the coordinates of the underwater acoustic transmitter and receiver unit 8 are calibrated and obtained to construct a reference coordinate system. The planar coordinates of transponder 7 are then unified to the reference coordinate system, which facilitates subsequent operations.

[0056] This embodiment deeply integrates absolute position (underwater acoustics), relative displacement (odometer), and attitude information (heading, depth) to achieve high-precision, fully autonomous navigation in environments without GPS signals.

[0057] In a further embodiment of this application, the above-described path planning method is optimized. Specifically, the walking mechanism is controlled to move along a zigzag planned path, with the interval between adjacent planned paths being less than the width of the scanning area of ​​the measuring mechanism in a single scan. By designing a specific scanning path, 100% coverage of the work area is ensured.

[0058] The planned path is a zigzag pattern. The control module controls the walking mechanism (which moves at a speed of 0.3 m / s) to travel along a straight line. Upon reaching the area boundary, it turns and returns along an adjacent path parallel to the previous path but at a certain distance. This distance... ΔL (Path interval 1.5m) It has been carefully designed to be smaller than the effective area width of a single scan of the measuring mechanism (two binocular cameras, acquiring binocular images every 0.5 seconds, generating a local point cloud of approximately 1500 points in real time, and fusing it with coordinate data to construct a global point cloud). W This ensures that there is a certain overlap between two adjacent scanning paths.

[0059] This path planning method ensures comprehensive coverage scanning of the underwater subgrade by the surveying agency, effectively eliminating the possibility of missed defects caused by excessive path spacing. The overlapping area provides data redundancy, improving the reliability of the measurement results and providing complete data support for subsequent precise leveling and material replenishment, which is a prerequisite for achieving high-quality leveling operations.

[0060] In other embodiments of this application, the defect identification method described above is optimized. Specifically, a three-dimensional point cloud is generated using surface images acquired by a binocular camera 2. The point cloud data undergoes preprocessing such as filtering and denoising. A "reference surface" representing a flat area is identified from the point cloud using a plane fitting or region growing algorithm. Then, through elevation analysis, "protruding parts" above the reference surface and "depressed parts" below the reference surface are identified. The height H (the difference in elevation between the highest point and the reference surface) of each protruding part and the depth D (the difference in elevation between the lowest point and the reference surface) of each depressed part are calculated. The height H is compared with a preset first threshold (e.g., 2 cm), and the depth D is compared with a preset second threshold (e.g., 2 cm). If H ≥ the first threshold, it is determined to be a protruding defect, and its coordinates are recorded; if D ≥ the second threshold, it is determined to be a depressed defect, and its coordinates are recorded.

[0061] The identification method in this embodiment automates, objectsifies, and quantifies defect identification. It avoids the subjectivity and inefficiency of manual interpretation, offering fast identification speed and high accuracy. By setting scientific thresholds, it effectively filters out minor unevenness within the permissible construction range, concentrating resources on addressing genuine defects, thereby optimizing the work process and improving overall efficiency.

[0062] After the leveling and material replenishment operation of a certain area is completed in this embodiment, the completed area is re-measured by a binocular camera. If the elevation deviation of more than 90% of the measuring points in the area is ≤2cm and the flatness (standard deviation) is ≤2cm, the leveling operation of the area is considered to meet the requirements. Otherwise, the leveling requirements are not met. In the case of not meeting the leveling requirements, the walking mechanism is controlled to move to the defect position and perform leveling or material replenishment operation again.

[0063] In other embodiments of this application, the quantitative feeding method described above is optimized. Specifically, based on the same surface image (3D point cloud) acquired by the binocular camera 2 for identifying the depression defect, the precise volume of the depression defect portion is calculated using a 3D modeling algorithm (such as Delaunay triangulation or voxel method). V The control module will calculate the volume of the crushed stone. V Data is sent to the feed hopper control system (feed pump) on the mother ship 5. The feed hopper control system adjusts the feed pump based on volume. V The feeding mechanism (gate and feed pump) is precisely controlled to output the corresponding volume of crushed stone. The output crushed stone passes through the chute hose 6 and, under the action of gravity, directly fills the depression and defect below.

[0064] This embodiment achieves precise material control in the replenishment process. By directly calculating the required material quantity through visual measurement, it ensures accurate matching of replenishment amounts, fundamentally solving the rework problem caused by insufficient or excessive replenishment in traditional methods. This not only saves on crushed stone materials but also ensures the flatness of the subgrade after replenishment, serving as the final crucial guarantee for achieving high-quality, high-efficiency integrated operations.

[0065] The foregoing has shown and described the basic principles, main features, and advantages of this application. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the above embodiments. The embodiments and descriptions in the specification are merely illustrative of the principles of this application. Various changes and modifications can be made to this application without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, and all such changes and modifications fall within the scope of this application as claimed. The scope of protection of this application is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment device, characterized in that: include, A walking mechanism is placed on an underwater base and can move along the underwater base. A control cabin is provided on the walking mechanism. A measuring mechanism, mounted on a traveling mechanism, is used to identify protruding and recessed defective parts on an underwater foundation bed. A leveling mechanism, whose angle and height are adjustable, is connected to a traveling mechanism and is used to scrape off protruding defects on an underwater base bed. A feeding mechanism, which is connected to a leveling mechanism, is used to fill the depressions and defects in the underwater foundation with crushed stone. The control module, located in the control cabin, is connected to the measuring mechanism, leveling mechanism, traveling mechanism, and feeding mechanism for data transmission. It is used to control the operation of the leveling mechanism and feeding mechanism based on the identification results of the measuring mechanism.

2. The underwater foundation leveling and replenishing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The feeding mechanism includes a feeding bin and a stone-lifting hose; the feeding bin is located on a working mother vessel floating above the underwater base; the upper end of the stone-lifting hose is connected to the feeding bin, and the lower end is connected to the leveling mechanism.

3. The underwater foundation leveling and replenishing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The leveling mechanism includes a leveling scraper; the leveling scraper is a spiral leveling structure that combines leveling and crushing functions, and the leveling scraper is connected to the traveling mechanism through at least two sets of hydraulic cylinders with adjustable height and angle.

4. The underwater foundation leveling and replenishing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The measuring mechanism includes a binocular camera mounted on a walking mechanism and a supplementary light for supplementing the visual area of ​​the binocular camera.

5. The underwater subgrade leveling and replenishing device as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The control module includes a positioning module; the positioning module includes a transponder installed on the control cabin for signal transmission with the water surface, a pressure sensor for collecting water pressure at the current location of the control cabin, an electronic compass for identifying the current heading of the control cabin, and an encoder for identifying the travel distance of the walking mechanism.

6. A method for underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment, characterized in that: The construction method is operated using an underwater subgrade leveling and replenishing device as described in any one of claims 1 to 5, including: The traveling mechanism is lowered onto the underwater foundation bed to be leveled and filled with materials, and the traveling mechanism is positioned. The control walking mechanism moves along the planned path, and simultaneously scans the underwater foundation for defects during the movement, identifying protruding and recessed defect parts on the underwater foundation. When a raised defect is detected, the walking mechanism is controlled to move to the corresponding position, and the leveling mechanism is used to scrape the raised defect flat. When a dent or defect is detected, the walking mechanism is controlled to move to the corresponding position, and the material filling mechanism is used to fill the dent or defect. After the defective part is repaired, the repaired part is re-measured to determine whether it meets the leveling requirements. If it does not meet the leveling requirements, the part is leveled again in the above manner until the leveling requirements are met. This process is repeated until the leveling of all locations on the underwater foundation is completed.

7. The underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment construction method as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The method for locating the walking mechanism includes: sending an interrogation signal from the underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit on the working mother ship at the water surface to the transponder on the control cabin; receiving the interrogation signal and sending a reply signal to the underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit; measuring the time from when the underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit sends the interrogation signal to when the transponder sends the reply signal; subtracting the transponder's delay time; obtaining the slant distance from each underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit on the working mother ship to the transponder based on real-time sound velocity profile data; calculating the slant distance of each underwater acoustic transmitter / receiver unit relative to the transponder using a geometric positioning algorithm to obtain the transponder's planar coordinates; calculating the depth of the control cabin relative to the current water surface based on the hydrostatic pressure formula using the pressure sensor on the control cabin; and obtaining the current heading of the control cabin based on the electronic compass on the control cabin.

8. The underwater foundation leveling and replenishment method as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The method for controlling the walking mechanism to move along a planned path includes: controlling the walking mechanism to move along a zigzag planned path, wherein the interval between adjacent planned paths is less than the width of the single scan area of ​​the measuring mechanism.

9. A construction method for underwater foundation leveling and replenishment as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The method for identifying protruding and recessed defects on an underwater substrate includes: acquiring surface images of the underwater substrate using a binocular camera on a traveling mechanism; processing the surface images to identify a reference surface representing flat areas, protruding areas representing convex areas, and recessed areas representing concave areas; acquiring the height of the protruding areas relative to the reference surface and the depth of the recessed areas relative to the reference surface; comparing the height with a set first threshold and the depth with a set second threshold; if the height is not less than the first threshold, the protruding area is determined to be a protruding defect, requiring leveling operations, and the coordinate position of the protruding defect is marked; otherwise, it is not a protruding defect; if the depth and height are not less than the second threshold, the recessed area is determined to be a recessed defect, requiring material replenishment operations, and the coordinate position of the recessed defect is marked; otherwise, it is not a recessed defect.

10. The underwater subgrade leveling and replenishment construction method as described in claim 9, characterized in that: The method for filling the dented defect using a feeding mechanism includes: identifying the volume of crushed stone required to fill the dented defect based on surface images acquired by a binocular camera; controlling the feeding bin on the working mother ship at the water surface to supply the corresponding volume of crushed stone to the chute connected to the feeding bin according to the obtained volume of crushed stone; and controlling the chute to fill the dented defect with crushed stone.

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