Laying protection system for bottom-supported equipment and working method of laying protection system

Abstract

The invention provides a laying protection system for bottom-supported equipment and a working method thereof.The laying protection system comprises a warning buoy array, a connecting main cable and marking buoy devices, and the warning buoy array comprises at least two warning buoy devices arranged on the two sides of the bottom-supported equipment in the trawling operation direction respectively; the warning buoy device comprises an anchor body arranged on the water bottom surface where the bottom-sitting equipment is located, a warning buoy floating on the water surface and an anchor cable connecting the anchor body and the warning buoy, and the anchor cable and the bottom-sitting equipment are connected through connecting main cables. And the marking buoy device comprises a marking buoy and a marking connecting cable for connecting the marking buoy and the bottom-sitting equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of marine monitoring technology, and in particular to a deployment and protection system for bottom-mounted equipment and its operating method. Background Technology

[0002] In marine fisheries areas, long-term seabed-based equipment (such as ADCP acoustic Doppler current profilers) is of great significance for studying the marine environment and protecting fishery resources. However, these devices face two major problems in practical applications: 1) Susceptibility to damage from fishing vessel operations: Frequent trawling and anchoring operations in fishing areas can easily snag, drag, or damage seabed equipment, leading to data loss, equipment damage, and high repair costs. 2) Difficulty in locating and recovering equipment: Traditional single-point buoy marking methods are not conspicuous enough and are not easily found in rough seas or at night; moreover, if the buoy is damaged or lost, the seabed-based equipment requires divers to retrieve it, which is quite difficult without proper positioning.

[0003] Currently, most common protective methods use a single buoy for warning, but the protection range is limited and it is difficult to effectively deal with the lateral dragging risk of large trawling operations. In the event of extreme weather such as typhoons, the safety of the equipment cannot be guaranteed. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the shortcomings of the prior art described above, the purpose of this invention is to provide a deployment protection system for bottom-sitting equipment and its working method, which adopts diversified warnings and can effectively deal with the lateral dragging risk of large trawling operations.

[0005] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides a deployment protection system for bottom-sitting equipment, comprising a warning buoy array, a connecting main cable, and a marker buoy device. The warning buoy array includes at least two warning buoy devices respectively disposed on both sides of the bottom-sitting equipment along the trawl operation direction. Each warning buoy device includes an anchor body disposed on the bottom surface where the bottom-sitting equipment is located, a warning buoy floating on the water surface, and an anchor cable connecting the anchor body and the warning buoy. Each anchor cable is connected to the bottom-sitting equipment by a connecting main cable. The marker buoy device includes a marker buoy and a marker connecting cable connecting the marker buoy and the bottom-sitting equipment.

[0006] Furthermore, the warning buoy includes a buoy body, a positioning and identification mechanism, a sensing and reflecting mechanism, and a power supply mechanism. The positioning and identification mechanism is installed on the buoy body and is used to continuously send location and warning signals. The sensing and reflecting mechanism includes a monitoring camera and a radar reflector installed on the buoy body. The power supply mechanism is installed on the buoy body and is used to supply power to the electrical components in the warning buoy.

[0007] Furthermore, the power supply mechanism includes batteries and solar energy.

[0008] Furthermore, the warning buoy also includes a strobe light installed on the buoy body.

[0009] Furthermore, the horizontal distance between the anchor body of the warning buoy device and the bottom-sitting device is greater than 100m.

[0010] Furthermore, the length of the connecting main cable is greater than three times the water depth at the location of the bottom-sitting device.

[0011] Furthermore, the buoy device also includes a counterweight mechanism, which is connected to the buoy connecting line and placed on the bottom surface next to the bottoming device.

[0012] Furthermore, the counterweight mechanism includes a universal swivel ring placed on the bottom surface and a counterweight block disposed on the universal swivel ring. The counterweight block is connected to a marker connecting cable, and the counterweight block rotates relative to the bottom surface via the universal swivel ring. The length L of the section of the marker connecting cable located between the counterweight mechanism and the bottom-sitting device is 1.5~2.5m.

[0013] The present invention also provides a method for operating the above-mentioned deployment protection system, comprising:

[0014] System deployment: First, two warning buoy devices are deployed on both sides of the predetermined placement position of the bottom-sitting equipment along the trawl operation direction; then, the bottom-sitting equipment, which is connected to the anchor body of the warning buoy device via the connecting main cable, is lowered to the predetermined placement position by the work vessel; then, the marker buoy device connected to the bottom-sitting equipment is released.

[0015] Protection and monitoring period: Warning buoys and marker buoys are used to indicate the location of the bottom-sitting equipment of passing vessels;

[0016] System recovery: The work vessel sails to the marker buoy, retrieves the marker buoy and marker connecting cable, and directly lifts the bottom-sitting equipment.

[0017] As described above, the deployment protection system and its operating method according to the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0018] 1. Three-dimensional protection: Through an array of warning buoys, a protected "no-entry zone" is clearly demarcated on the horizontal plane. The warning buoy devices can form an all-weather, multi-dimensional active warning system through light, electricity, radar, and AIS / BeiDou signals, greatly reducing the probability of fishing boats accidentally entering and causing damage.

[0019] 2. Anti-trawl design: The warning buoy devices are arranged in a straight line in the same direction as the main current of the trawl. The two thick connecting main cables form an "interception cable" in the water that is lower than the height of the bottom-sitting equipment. This can effectively block or lift the trawl gear in advance, allowing it to pass over the bottom-sitting equipment, thereby protecting the core equipment.

[0020] 3. Data Quality Assurance: When the bottom-mounted device is used as a monitoring device, it can be more than 100 meters away from the warning buoy device, avoiding the interference of noise generated by the swaying of the warning buoy on the acoustic and other precision measurement data, thus ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the monitoring data; at the same time, the marking connection cable of the marking buoy device 4 will not drift above the bottom-mounted device (such as the transducer of ADCP) and cause interference due to the existence of the rotating counterweight mechanism, ensuring an unobstructed detection field of view.

[0021] 4. Safe and convenient retrieval: The direct connection design of the marker buoy makes the retrieval target clear and the operation simple. In addition, the existence of the rotating counterweight mechanism will not cause entanglement problems. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the deployment protection system of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 This is a side view of the deployment protection system of the present invention.

[0024] Figure 3 This is a top view of the deployment protection system of the present invention.

[0025] Explanation of icon numbers:

[0026] 1-Bottoming device, 2-Warning buoy device, 21-Warning buoy, 22-Anchor cable, 23-Anchor body, 3-Main connecting cable, 4-Marking buoy device, 41-Marking buoy, 42-Marking connecting cable, 421-Stabilizing section, 422-Moving section, 43-Counterweight mechanism. Detailed Implementation

[0027] The following specific embodiments illustrate the implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art can easily understand other advantages and effects of the present invention from the content disclosed in this specification.

[0028] It should be understood that the structures, proportions, sizes, etc., depicted in the accompanying drawings are merely for illustrative purposes to aid those skilled in the art and to facilitate understanding. They are not intended to limit the scope of the invention and therefore have no substantial technical significance. Any modifications to the structure, changes in proportions, or adjustments to size, without affecting the effectiveness and objectives of the invention, should still fall within the scope of the technical content disclosed herein. Furthermore, the terms "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "middle," and "one" used in this specification are merely for clarity and not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Changes or adjustments to their relative relationships, without substantially altering the technical content, should also be considered within the scope of the invention's implementation.

[0029] It should also be noted that when a component is referred to as being "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or may be connected to an intermediary component. When a component is referred to as being "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or indirectly connected to the other component through an intermediary component.

[0030] Furthermore, the use of terms such as "first" and "second" in this application is for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. Additionally, the technical solutions of the various embodiments can be combined with each other, but only on the basis of being achievable by those skilled in the art. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or impossible to implement, such a combination of technical solutions should be considered non-existent and not within the scope of protection claimed in this application.

[0031] See Figures 1 to 3 The present invention provides a deployment protection system for a bottom-sitting device 1, comprising a warning buoy array, a connecting main cable 3, and a marking buoy device 4. The warning buoy array includes at least two warning buoy devices 2 respectively disposed on both sides of the bottom-sitting device 1 along the trawl operation direction. The warning buoy device 2 includes an anchor body 23 disposed on the bottom surface where the bottom-sitting device 1 is located, a warning buoy 21 floating on the water surface, and an anchor cable 22 connecting the anchor body 23 and the warning buoy 21. The anchor cable 22 is connected to the bottom-sitting device 1 by the connecting main cable 3. The marking buoy device 4 includes a marking buoy 41 and a marking connecting cable 42 connecting the marking buoy 41 and the bottom-sitting device 1.

[0032] The deployment protection system of this invention can be used for the deployment protection of various bottom-sitting devices 1, especially in marine fishery areas. The bottom-sitting device 1 can be an ADCP (Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler) or other observation equipment. The trawl direction of the bottom-sitting device 1 can be set according to actual needs, usually the direction of the current or main current. The warning buoy devices 2 on both sides are arranged in a line, with the bottom-sitting device 1 located in the middle. In use, the warning buoys 21 of the two warning buoy devices 2 can be large buoys, forming a clear marker on the water surface. The two warning buoys 21 form a conspicuous "safety corridor" to warn fishing vessels to avoid the area. Because the two marker buoy devices 4 are arranged in a line in the same direction as the trawl operation, the two thick connecting main cables 3 form an "interception cable" underwater, lower than the height of the bottom-sitting device 1. When a fishing boat passes by, it can effectively block or lift the trawl gear in advance, causing it to pass over the bottom-sitting device 1. Specifically, the behavior that has the greatest impact on the bottom-sitting device 1 when trawls is to wrap around and drag the entire bottom-sitting device 1 from the muddy part of the frame. The connecting main cables 3 play a role in preventing this wrapping around the frame. If the fishing net passes over the bottom-sitting device 1, it will get caught on the connecting main cables 3, causing it to face the pulling force of the entire buoy system, and eventually it will be unable to be pulled away, and the fishing net will have to be abandoned, thus protecting the core equipment. The marker buoy 41 of the marker buoy device 4 can be a small buoy, connected to the bottom-sitting device 1 through the marker connecting cable 42, and is used to directly mark the water surface position directly above the bottom-sitting device 1. The salvage vessel only needs to hook the marker buoy 41 to start the recovery operation, which is convenient for recovery.

[0033] See Figures 1 to 3 The present invention will be further described below with reference to specific embodiments:

[0034] In this embodiment, as a preferred design, the warning buoy 21 of the warning buoy device 2 further includes the following parts:

[0035] 1) Buoy body: used to float on the water surface, provide buoyancy, serve as a warning sign, and also serve as the mounting base for other structural parts.

[0036] 2) Positioning and identification mechanism: Installed on the main body of the buoy, it is used to continuously send position and warning signals. Specifically, it can use an integrated AIS (Automatic Identification System) transmitter and a Beidou satellite beacon to continuously send accurate position and warning information to passing ships.

[0037] 3) Sensing and reflecting mechanism: Installed on the main body of the buoy, including two surveillance cameras with no blind spots to monitor the sea surface around the main body of the buoy in real time; it also includes a radar reflector installed on the surface of the buoy to enhance its visibility on the ship's radar.

[0038] 4) Power supply mechanism: Installed on the main body of the buoy, it is used to supply power to the electrical components in the warning buoy 21. The power supply mechanism includes a battery and a solar panel. The solar panel charges the battery, and the battery is charged and supplies power to ensure the long-term operation of the warning buoy 21.

[0039] 5) Strobe lights: These are installed on the main body of the buoy, preferably 5, and evenly distributed around the top of the buoy body. They provide 360-degree strong light warning through high-power strobe lights.

[0040] In addition to the warning buoy devices 2 set on both sides of the bottom-sitting equipment 1 along the trawl operation direction, warning buoy devices 2 can also be set in other directions, that is, multiple warning buoy devices 2 are set around the bottom-sitting equipment 1 to achieve all-round reminders.

[0041] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As a preferred design, when the bottom-sitting device 1 is a monitoring device (especially an acoustic device), the horizontal distance between the anchor body 23 of the warning buoy device 2 and the bottom-sitting device 1 is greater than 100m. The bottom-sitting device 1 is located on the line connecting the two anchor bodies 23, which can effectively prevent the warning buoy 21 from interfering with the data acquisition of the monitoring device due to its swaying with the waves. Furthermore, the length of the connecting main cable 3 is greater than three times the water depth at the location of the bottom-sitting device 1, preferably three times the water depth plus 50 meters, thus leaving sufficient margin to adapt to tidal changes and buoy rise and fall caused by waves, ensuring that the connection is always in a safe state of a certain tension but not overloaded.

[0042] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As a preferred design, the main connecting cable 3 is made of a large-diameter steel wire rope, with one end connected to the anchor body 23 and the other end connected to the base device 1 via a shackle, facilitating installation and disassembly. In other embodiments, the connecting cable 42 can also adopt other structures, such as chains, corrosion-resistant rubber, or ropes made of other materials.

[0043] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3As a preferred design, the buoy device 4 also includes a counterweight mechanism 43. The counterweight mechanism 43 is connected to the buoy connecting cable 42 and placed on the bottom surface next to the bottom-sitting device 1. By setting the counterweight mechanism 43 to stabilize the end of the buoy connecting cable 42 near the bottom-sitting device 1, the buoy connecting cable 42 is divided into a stable section 421 connected to the bottom-sitting device 1 and a movable section 422 connected to the buoy 41. The movable section 422 will sway with the drifting of the buoy 41, but the stable section 421 can basically ensure stability and will not drift above the bottom-sitting device 1 (such as the transducer of an ADCP), which is used as an observation device. This ensures that there is no interference from the buoy connecting cable 42 in a certain range at the top when the device is working normally, ensuring an unobstructed detection field of view. At the same time, it can also avoid the problem of the buoy connecting cable 42 breaking due to excessive tension between the bottom-sitting device 1, thus improving the working stability of the buoy device 4. The buoy connecting cable 42 is made of steel wire rope, but other structures can also be used, such as chains, corrosion-resistant rubber, or ropes made of other materials. Furthermore, the length H of the stabilizing section 421 of the connecting cable 42 located between the counterweight mechanism 43 and the base device 1 is 1.5~2.5m.

[0044] In this embodiment, see Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 3 As a preferred design, the counterweight mechanism 43 includes a universal swivel placed on the seabed and a counterweight block mounted on the universal swivel. The counterweight block is connected to the marker connecting cable 42, and the counterweight block rotates relative to the seabed via the universal swivel. This design facilitates retrieval and prevents entanglement. The salvage vessel only needs to hook the marker buoy 41 to begin the retrieval operation. During retrieval, the vessel can rotate around the marker buoy 41 to tighten the marker connecting cable 42. Due to the presence of the universal swivel, the rotational force of the vessel is not transmitted to the universal swivel below and the connecting main cable 3 connecting the two anchor bodies 23, thereby avoiding the risk of the two connecting main cables 3 becoming entangled around the bottom-sitting device 1.

[0045] The present invention also provides a method for operating the above-mentioned deployment protection system, comprising:

[0046] System deployment:

[0047] First, two warning buoy devices 2 are deployed, positioned on either side of the predetermined placement location of the bottom-sitting device 1 along the trawl operation direction. Then, using the work vessel, the bottom-sitting device 1, connected to the warning buoy devices 2 by anchors via connecting main cables 3, is lowered to the predetermined placement location. Next, the marker buoy device 4 connected to the bottom-sitting device 1 is released. Specifically, during the deployment of the two warning buoy devices 2, the anchor body 23 sinks to the bottom surface, the anchor cable 22 is tightened, and the warning buoy 21 floats stably on the water surface. The bottom-sitting device 1 is pre-connected to the two connecting main cables 3. The bottom-sitting device 1 is lowered to the middle position, which is the predetermined placement location. Finally, the marker buoy device 4 connected to the top cable of the bottom-sitting device 1 is released, and the counterweight mechanism 43 sinks to the bottom surface near the released bottom-sitting device 1.

[0048] Protection and monitoring period:

[0049] The warning buoy device 2 and the marker buoy device 4 indicate the location of the bottom-sitting device 1 to passing vessels. The two large warning buoys 21 form a conspicuous "safety corridor" to warn fishing boats to avoid it. During this time, the positioning and identification mechanism on the warning buoy 21 continuously sends precise location and warning information to passing vessels. The five high-power strobe lights on the top of the warning buoy 21 can provide 360-degree strong light warning. The bottom-sitting device 1 works stably in the middle, and the small marker buoy 41 indicates its precise location.

[0050] System Recycling:

[0051] The work vessel sails to the marker buoy 41, retrieves the marker buoy 41 and the marker connecting cable 42, and directly lifts the bottom-sitting equipment 1. The entire process does not require handling the anchor cable 22 of the warning buoy device 2, nor does it require worrying about the rope entanglement problem.

[0052] As can be seen from the above, the deployment protection system and its working method of the present invention have the following beneficial effects:

[0053] 1. Three-dimensional protection: Through the array of warning buoys, a protected "no-entry zone" is clearly marked on the horizontal plane. The warning buoy device 2 can form an all-weather, multi-dimensional active warning system through light, electricity, radar, and AIS / BeiDou signals, which greatly reduces the probability of fishing boats accidentally entering and causing damage.

[0054] 2. Anti-trawl design: The warning buoy device 2 is arranged in a straight line with the main direction of the trawl. The two thick connecting main cables 3 form an "interception cable" in the water that is lower than the height of the bottom-sitting device 1. This can effectively block or lift the trawl gear in advance, allowing it to pass over the bottom-sitting device 1, thereby protecting the core equipment.

[0055] 3. Data quality assurance: When the bottom-mounted device 1 is used as a monitoring device, it can be more than 100 meters away from the warning buoy device 2, avoiding the noise generated by the shaking of the warning buoy 21 from interfering with the acoustic and other precision measurement data, thus ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the monitoring data; at the same time, the marking connection cable 42 of the marking buoy device 4 will not drift above the bottom-mounted device 1 (such as the transducer of ADCP) and cause interference due to the existence of the rotatable counterweight mechanism 43, thus ensuring an unobstructed detection field of view.

[0056] 4. Safe and convenient retrieval: The direct connection design of the marker buoy 41 makes the retrieval target clear and the operation simple. In addition, the existence of the rotatable counterweight mechanism 43 will not cause entanglement problems.

[0057] In summary, this invention effectively overcomes the various shortcomings of the prior art and has high industrial application value.

[0058] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the principles and effects of the present invention and are not intended to limit the invention. Any person skilled in the art can modify or alter the above embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, all equivalent modifications or alterations made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and technical concept disclosed in the present invention should still be covered by the claims of the present invention.

Claims

1. A landing guard system for a bottom-supported device, the landing guard system comprising: The warning buoy array, the connecting main rope (3) and the marker buoy device (4), the warning buoy array comprises at least two warning buoy devices (2) respectively arranged on both sides of the bottom sitting device (1) along the direction of the trawl operation, the warning buoy device (2) comprises an anchor body (23) arranged on the water bottom surface where the bottom sitting device (1) is located, a warning buoy (21) floating on the water surface, and an anchor rope (22) connecting the anchor body (23) and the warning buoy (21), the anchor rope (22) is connected with the bottom sitting device (1) through the connecting main rope (3), and the marker buoy device (4) comprises a marker buoy (41) and a marker connecting rope (42) connecting the marker buoy (41) and the bottom sitting device (1).

2. The deployment shield system of claim 1, wherein: The warning buoy (21) comprises a buoy main body, a positioning and identifying mechanism, a sensing and reflecting mechanism and a power supply mechanism, the positioning and identifying mechanism is installed on the buoy main body and is used for continuously sending a position and a warning signal; the sensing and reflecting mechanism comprises a monitoring camera and a radar reflecting plate arranged on the buoy main body; and the power supply mechanism is installed on the buoy main body and is used for supplying power to an electric component in the warning buoy (21).

3. The deployment shield system of claim 2, wherein: The power supply mechanism comprises a battery and a solar panel.

4. The deployment shield system of claim 1, wherein: The warning buoy (21) further comprises a strobe light arranged on the buoy main body.

5. The deployment shield system of claim 1, wherein: The distance between the anchor body (23) of the warning buoy device (2) and the bottom sitting device (1) in the horizontal direction is greater than 100 m.

6. The deployment shield system of claim 1 or 5, wherein: The length of the connecting main rope (3) is greater than 3 times the water depth of the position where the bottom sitting device (1) is located.

7. The deployment shield system of claim 1, wherein: The marker buoy device (4) further comprises a counterweight mechanism (43), the counterweight mechanism (43) is connected to the marker connecting rope (42) and is placed on the water bottom surface beside the bottom sitting device (1).

8. The deployment shield system of claim 7, wherein: The counterweight mechanism (43) comprises a universal joint ring placed on the water bottom surface and a counterweight block arranged on the universal joint ring, the counterweight block is connected to the marker connecting rope (42), and the counterweight block rotates relative to the water bottom surface through the universal joint ring.

9. The deployment shield system of claim 7, wherein: The length L of the section of the marker connecting rope (42) between the counterweight mechanism (43) and the bottom sitting device (1) is 1.5-2.5 m.

10. A method of operating a deployment shield system as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9, characterised in that, Comprise: System deployment: first, two warning buoy devices (2) are arranged on both sides of the predetermined placement position of the bottom sitting device (1) along the direction of the trawl operation; then, the bottom sitting device (1) connected with the anchor body (23) of the warning buoy device (2) through the connecting main rope (3) is lowered to the predetermined placement position by the working ship; and then, the marker buoy device (4) connected with the bottom sitting device (1) is released; Protection and monitoring period: the position of the bottom sitting device (1) is prompted to passing ships through the warning buoy device (2) and the marker buoy device (4); System recovery: the working ship drives to the marker buoy (41), and the marker buoy (41) and the marker connecting rope (42) are lifted, and the bottom sitting device (1) is directly lifted.

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