Disposable anchoring device for offshore unmanned monitoring ship

Abstract

The invention relates to a disposable anchoring device for an offshore unmanned monitoring ship. The disposable anchoring device comprises an ejection anchoring device, a remote control winch and a positioning installation device. The ejection anchoring device comprises an anchorage device, a lead cylinder, a light anchor cable, an ejection mechanism, a locking mechanism and a throwing control cabin, the rear section of the anchorage device is inserted into the lead cylinder, the rear end of the lead cylinder is connected with the throwing control cabin, the front section of the ejection mechanism is located in the lead cylinder, the rear section of the ejection mechanism is located in the throwing control cabin, and the light anchor cable is wound on the remote control winch; the free end of the light anchor cable is connected with the anchorage device; the locking mechanism comprises an electromagnet assembly, a cover plate, a buckle hinge and a buckle, the buckle is installed on the throwing control cabin through the buckle hinge, one end of the buckle is fixedly connected with the cover plate, and the other end of the buckle is a lock hook which is separated from or hooked with the ejection mechanism. The invention further relates to an offshore unmanned monitoring ship. According to the automatic anchoring device, the functions of remote quick unlocking of the anchorage device, low-power-consumption instantaneous casting, remote control of recovery and anchor abandoning can be achieved, and the automatic anchoring device belongs to the technical field of automatic anchoring devices.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to automatic mooring devices, specifically to a jettisonable mooring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel, and also to an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel. Background Technology

[0002] With the increasing demand from fields such as hydrological surveys, waterway inspections, marine environmental monitoring, and resource development, small, intelligent unmanned monitoring equipment, such as unmanned vessels and buoys, is being used more and more widely in nearshore and inland waterway monitoring tasks due to its advantages of mobility, flexibility, and convenient deployment. However, when these devices need to have and rely on strong fixed-point observation capabilities to perform long-term fixed-point observation or data acquisition tasks, reliable mooring technology becomes a key link in ensuring their operational efficiency.

[0003] Currently, such equipment generally still uses traditional anchoring methods, where the monitoring equipment, anchor, and anchor chain or cable are manually released into the water from a mother ship to anchor the equipment. However, manually deploying monitoring equipment faces problems of high cost and poor safety. Nearshore observation based on miniaturized unmanned platforms has become an important means to solve this problem. However, considering the autonomous navigation and observation requirements of unmanned platforms, traditional anchoring methods have some problems: First, small unmanned platforms have limited space and load capacity, and there is insufficient space to accommodate heavy anchors, long chains, and retrieval mechanisms, while also resulting in high cost and energy consumption; second, traditional anchoring methods may cause difficulties in raising and recovering the anchor due to differences in seabed anchoring conditions, making it difficult for the platform to achieve autonomous recovery; finally, traditional anchoring methods have a low degree of automation and poor rapid deployment and recovery capabilities.

[0004] To address this, there is a need for a lightweight, low-cost mooring system to reduce platform system weight and energy consumption; a mooring system with good autonomous recovery performance and a high degree of automation to enable rapid deployment and recovery; and a disposable, low-cost, green mooring system to address the risk of mooring recovery jamming. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the technical problems existing in the prior art, the purpose of this invention is to provide a jettisonable anchoring device for near-shore unmanned monitoring vessels, which is easy to achieve ejection control of the anchor.

[0006] Another objective of this invention is to provide a near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel that offers stable position-keeping capabilities for monitoring missions.

[0007] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention adopts the following technical solution:

[0008] A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned monitoring vessel in nearshore waters includes a catapult anchoring device, a remote-controlled winch, and a positioning and mounting device. Both the catapult anchoring device and the remote-controlled winch are mounted on the positioning and mounting device. The catapult anchoring device includes an anchor, a guide tube, an ejection mechanism, a lightweight anchor cable, a locking mechanism, and a casting control chamber. The rear section of the anchor is inserted into the guide tube, and the rear end of the guide tube is connected to the casting control chamber. The casting control chamber contains the ejection mechanism; the front section of the ejection mechanism is located inside the guide tube and contacts the rear end of the anchor, while the rear section... Located inside the launching control cabin, one end of the lightweight anchor cable is wound around the remote-controlled winch, and the other end passes through the guide ring on the guide tube and connects to the anchor. The locking mechanism includes an electromagnet assembly, a cover plate, a snap-lock hinge, and a snap-lock. The snap-lock is installed on the launching control cabin through the snap-lock hinge. The tail end of the snap-lock is fixedly connected to the cover plate, and the front end of the snap-lock is a locking hook that is disengaged from or hooked to the launching mechanism. When the electromagnet assembly is powered on or off, it drives the cover plate to move horizontally. The cover plate drives the locking hook to move horizontally through the snap-lock, thereby unlocking or locking the launching mechanism.

[0009] As a preferred embodiment, the launch control chamber is a cubic shell. The front side plate of the launch control chamber has a circular hole for the ejection mechanism to pass through, and the upper side plate of the launch control chamber has a slot for engaging with the latch and cover plate. The electromagnet assembly is fixed to the lower bottom plate of the launch control chamber. The latch hinge is arranged along the left-right direction, the latch is arranged along the front-back direction, the locking hook is located in front of the latch, and the cover plate is located behind and below the latch.

[0010] As a preferred embodiment, the ejection mechanism includes a push rod, an ejection spring, and a locking plate. The push rod includes a central thin push rod and a disc located in front of the central thin push rod. The size of the disc corresponds to the inner diameter of the guide tube. The central thin push rod passes through a circular hole in the front wall of the ejection control cabin. The locking plate is fixed to the end of the central thin push rod. The locking plate has a flat plate structure, with the lower half of the locking plate being semi-circular and the upper half being rectangular. The upper end of the locking plate is an arc surface that slopes from the front top to the rear bottom.

[0011] As a preferred embodiment, the anchor includes an anchor rod and an anchor claw located at the front of the anchor rod. The rear end of the anchor rod is provided with a threaded hole, which engages with a screw with a hemispherical tail. The screw is screwed into the threaded hole, thereby holding the lightweight anchor cable fitted on the screw in place by the anchor rod and the screw. The axis of the hemispherical shape, the axis of the guide tube, and the axis of the push rod coincide.

[0012] As a preferred embodiment, the lower end of the guide tube is provided with a slot for the passage of a lightweight anchor cable, the slot extending forward to the front end of the guide tube, and a circular guide ring for the passage of a lightweight anchor cable is welded to the lower part of the guide tube, the circular guide ring being located behind the rear end of the slot; the inner diameter of the guide tube corresponds to the outer diameter of the anchor rod at the rear end of the anchor.

[0013] As a preferred embodiment, the remote-controlled winch includes a housing, an electromagnet assembly, a motor, a main shaft, a one-way bearing, a motor-side end face gear, a winch-side end face gear, a winch base, and a winch. The electromagnet assembly, motor, motor-side end face gear, and winch-side end face gear are sequentially arranged within the housing. The motor's output shaft is connected to the main shaft. The motor-side end face gear is mounted on the main shaft via a one-way bearing. The main shaft passes through the winch-side end face gear fixed within the housing via a cylindrical roller bearing and engages with the hexagonal inner hole of the winch via a hexagonal cylindrical surface of a mating section. The winch is located between the housing and the winch base and is used for winding lightweight anchor cables. The housing is equipped with... The system includes a sliding groove and a slider mounted on the motor, with the sliding groove engaging with the slider. An electromagnet assembly controls the axial translation of the motor, switching the meshing state of the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear. The motor drives the main shaft to rotate; when the motor is de-energized, the main shaft rotates freely. During cable laying, the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear disengage, and the main shaft rotates freely. During cable winding, the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear mesh, and the main shaft rotates unidirectionally under the motor's drive. During anchoring, the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear mesh; when the motor is de-energized, the main shaft remains stationary through a one-way bearing and gear meshing.

[0014] As a preferred embodiment, the winch is equipped with a barb, and the fixed end of the lightweight anchor cable is ring-shaped and fitted onto the barb. The barb includes a connecting part and a bending part, and the end of the bending part forms an opening between itself and the main shaft. The opening faces the same direction as the linear velocity of the barb when retrieving the lightweight anchor cable.

[0015] As a preferred embodiment, the positioning and installation device includes a positioning plate with a front sliding groove at the upper front and a rear sliding groove at the lower rear. The positioning plate also has mounting holes for installing the positioning plate. The ejection and anchoring device also includes a guide tube bracket and a control compartment bracket. The guide tube bracket is welded to the guide tube and is angle-adjustably fixed in the front sliding groove. The control compartment bracket is welded to the ejection control compartment and is angle-adjustably fixed in the rear sliding groove.

[0016] As a preferred option, the lightweight anchor cable is made of steel wire rope to reduce the energy consumption of pulling the lightweight anchor cable after casting; the anchor is made of ordinary carbon steel to increase the initial kinetic energy and improve the casting distance.

[0017] A near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel includes a hull and a monitoring system, a propulsion and dynamic positioning system, and at least one jettisonable anchoring device for near-shore unmanned monitoring vessels; the propulsion and dynamic positioning system includes an electric propulsion unit; when the anchoring force of the automatic anchoring device is insufficient, the electric propulsion unit is activated, and the near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel enters dynamic positioning mode.

[0018] The principle of this invention is:

[0019] This invention proposes a small, modular, disposable automatic anchoring device that combines rapid deployment, lightweight design, and low power consumption. It meets the requirements for rapid deployment and retrieval in dynamic environments, features anchor discarding to address anchor jamming issues, and adapts to the low power consumption requirements of miniaturized unmanned monitoring equipment, enabling long-term self-sustaining operation. The invention mainly comprises three parts: a catapult anchoring device, a remote-controlled winch, and a positioning and installation device. The catapult anchoring device utilizes an electromagnetic switch-type locking mechanism to release the compressed spring, converting its elastic potential energy into the kinetic energy of the anchor, thus achieving the catapult anchoring function. The lightweight anchor cable is composed of lightweight, high-strength, and high-toughness steel wire rope, reducing the initial kinetic energy requirement of the anchor during catapult anchoring. The remote-controlled winch enables remote switching between free release and retrieval of the lightweight anchor cable, and can also activate the automatic anchor discarding function via the electromagnet component of the remote-controlled winch, preventing anchor jamming and difficulties in anchor retrieval. The positioning and installation device is designed to provide a quick connection and angle adjustment function between the anchor and the unmanned platform, facilitating rapid deployment on different platforms. In conjunction with the catapult anchoring device, the positioning and installation device allows manual adjustment of the initial launch angle of the anchor according to mooring requirements, thereby adapting to different mooring requirements.

[0020] Specifically: When the unmanned monitoring equipment reaches the designated area and receives the anchoring signal, the electromagnetic coil of the locking mechanism is activated. The electromagnetic force pulls the cover plate and drives the latch switch, opening and releasing the ejection mechanism. The compression spring restores the thrust applied to the anchor, giving it an initial velocity, allowing it to fall into the water within its designed approximate diameter range. Under gravity, it sinks to the bottom, at which point the remote-controlled winch is in a free state, and the anchor pulls the lightweight anchor cable for deployment. Subsequently, the electromagnet component inside the remote-controlled winch is de-energized, the motor moves horizontally, and the motor engages with the winch. The motor's rotation pulls the anchor to the bottom, achieving anchoring of the monitoring equipment under a certain tension level. After the observation work is completed, the anchor is pulled back by the remote-controlled winch for retrieval. If retrieval is difficult due to seabed topography or other factors, the anchor cable can be discarded via the remote-controlled winch to actively break free from anchoring and complete the retrieval of the monitoring equipment. When installing the anchor on shore, it is manually inserted into the guide cylinder and the ejection spring is compressed, causing the push rod and latch to reset and lock, completing the preparation for launching and anchoring.

[0021] The locking mechanism in the catapult-launched anchoring device of this invention adopts a lever structure design, requiring only a small current to unlock, resulting in low power consumption. The remaining mechanical structure design is relatively simple, facilitating application and daily maintenance.

[0022] The present invention has the following advantages:

[0023] 1. The magnetic force generated by energizing an electromagnet drives the armature to move downward, causing the cover plate to move downward linearly, and the latch and hinge to form a lever structure to lift up, which efficiently realizes the fast unlocking action of the latch, thereby quickly releasing the ejection mechanism.

[0024] 2. The structural design of the launch control cabin can accommodate the locking mechanism and part of the ejection mechanism, resulting in a simplified and compact overall structure.

[0025] 3. In the ejection mechanism, the card plate structure is well designed, making it easy to unlock and reset.

[0026] 4. The hemispherical tail of the anchor and the front disk of the push rod form a point-to-surface contact to ensure that the thrust on the anchor coincides with the axis, thus avoiding launch failure or flight attitude instability caused by eccentric launch.

[0027] 5. The appropriate clearance fit inside the guide tube, as well as the groove and lubrication design at the bottom, effectively prevent the lightweight anchor cable from jamming.

[0028] 6. The remote-controlled winch has a simple structure and is easy to control the winding and unwinding of lightweight anchor cables.

[0029] 7. The lightweight anchor cable is secured to the end by a barb, which is simple in structure and easy to process and arrange. It can provide unidirectional tension for the lightweight anchor cable and plays a key role in the recovery and abandonment of the anchor. When the anchor cannot be recovered, the anchor and lightweight anchor cable can be abandoned to avoid affecting the operation of the near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel due to the inability to recover the anchor.

[0030] 8. The catapult-launched anchor device is installed in an adjustable position on the positioning and installation device, ensuring that the initial launch angle of the anchor is controllable.

[0031] 9. Lightweight anchor cables are characterized by being lightweight and having high strength.

[0032] 10. The use of electric propulsion not only ensures the normal navigation of the ship, but also allows the automatic anchoring device of this invention to automatically switch to dynamic positioning mode when the anchoring force is insufficient or the positioning accuracy decreases due to special sea conditions. The thrust compensation can offset environmental disturbances such as wind, waves, and currents, providing a stable position holding capability for monitoring tasks. Attached Figure Description

[0033] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of an unmanned monitoring vessel for nearshore areas.

[0034] Figure 2 This is a 3D view of a small, modular, disposable, automated mooring device.

[0035] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the catapult-launched anchoring device.

[0036] Figure 4 It is a 3D diagram of a remote-controlled winch.

[0037] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of a remote-controlled winch.

[0038] Figure 6 This is a 3D view of the positioning and installation device.

[0039] In the diagram, S1 represents the hull and monitoring system, S2 represents the propulsion and dynamic positioning system, and S3 represents the small, modular, jettisonable automatic mooring device.

[0040] A-Ejection anchoring device, B-Remote control winch, C-Positioning and installation device.

[0041] 1-Anchor, 2-Guide cylinder, 3-Lightweight anchor cable, 4-Push rod, 5-Ejection spring, 6-Throwing control compartment, 7-Clamping plate, 8-Electromagnet, 9-Armature, 10-Reset spring, 11-Cover plate, 12-Snap hinge, 13-Snap, 14-Control compartment bracket, 15-Guide cylinder bracket.

[0042] 21-Electromagnet, 22-Spring, 23-Motor, 24-Slide groove, 25-One-way bearing, 26-Motor side end face gear, 27-Main shaft, 28-Windlas side end face gear, 29-Hook, 30-Windlas base.

[0043] 31-Rear slide rail, 32-Positioning plate, 33-Front slide rail, 34-Mounting hole. Detailed Implementation

[0044] The present invention will now be described in further detail with reference to specific embodiments.

[0045] Example 1

[0046] like Figure 2 As shown, a jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned monitoring vessel in nearshore waters includes a catapult anchoring device, a remote-controlled winch, and a positioning and mounting device. Both the catapult anchoring device and the remote-controlled winch are mounted on the positioning and mounting device.

[0047] Figure 3 As shown, the ejector anchoring device A includes an anchor 1, a guide cylinder 2, a lightweight anchor cable 3, a push rod 4, an ejection spring 5, an ejection control compartment 6, a locking plate 7, an electromagnet 8, an armature 9, a return spring 10, a cover plate 11, a snap-fit ​​hinge 12, a snap-fit ​​13, a control compartment bracket 14, and a guide cylinder bracket 15. The ejection mechanism includes the push rod 4, the ejection spring 5, and the locking plate 7. The locking mechanism includes an electromagnet assembly (electromagnet 8, armature 9, and return spring 10), a cover plate 11, a snap-fit ​​hinge 12, and a snap-fit ​​13. The ejector anchoring device is characterized by high efficiency and low power consumption.

[0048] Anchor 1 needs to be installed before departure. The anchor claws are located outside the guide tube 2, and the anchor rod is located inside the guide tube 2. Anchor 1 has four anchor claws in a symmetrical structure, which helps with stability during launch and flight. The anchor claws can be made of alloys, such as aluminum-magnesium alloy, to reduce weight. The structural design results in a smaller overall windward area, reducing drag. Anchor 1 has a threaded hole at its tail. The lightweight anchor cable 3 is looped onto a screw with a hemispherical shape. After the screw is screwed into the threaded hole, the lightweight anchor cable 3 is connected to anchor 1. The hemispherical structure ensures that when the force of the push rod 4 impacts, the line of force is aligned with the axis of the guide tube, reducing the risk of the anchor and guide tube jamming due to force misalignment. At the same time, the tail of anchor 1 is machined with a shallow groove to facilitate the passage of the lightweight anchor cable 3, preventing the lightweight anchor cable from getting stuck between the tail of the anchor and the hemisphere, which would affect the connection stability. Preferably, the anchor 1 adopts a symmetrical structure design, which, combined with the initial kinetic energy provided by the ejection spring 5, greatly improves the stability of its flight attitude and the reliability of its anchoring after entering the water, thereby significantly improving the positioning accuracy of the final anchoring point.

[0049] The guide tube 2 is a cylindrical structure with no end cap at the front end and is welded to the launch control compartment 6 at the rear end. Its inner diameter should correspond to the outer diameter of the anchor rod at the rear of the anchor 1 and the outer diameter of the disc at the front end of the push rod 4, so as to play a guiding role and ensure the normal ejection of the anchor 1. The inside should be kept lubricated to prevent excessive friction from jamming the anchor 1 or the front end of the push rod 4, which would lead to launch failure. At the same time, in order to prevent the lightweight anchor cable 3 from getting stuck due to friction with the guide tube 2 during the flight of the anchor 1, a groove is made at the bottom of the guide tube 2. A circular guide ring is welded behind the groove to guide its pull-out direction, so that the lightweight anchor cable 3 will not interfere with other components and get blocked when it hangs down due to its own weight. The starting point of the groove is located at the open end of the guide tube 2, and the end of the groove is referenced by the connection point of the anchor cable at the rear end after the anchor 1 is filled, so that the lightweight anchor cable 3 will not interfere with the guide tube.

[0050] Lightweight anchor cable 3 provides mooring for the unmanned monitoring equipment. It should be made of lightweight, high-strength materials, such as steel wire rope. Its size is determined by the wave load, which depends on the sea conditions and the characteristics of the unmanned monitoring equipment.

[0051] The front end of the push rod 4 is a disc that fits with the inner wall of the guide cylinder, which is used to contact the rear hemispherical surface of the anchor to provide ejection force; the rear flat of the disc presses against the front end of the ejection spring 5, and the ejection spring is fitted onto the central thin push rod that is fixed to the center of the disc at the front end. The rear end is pressed against the front wall of the throwing control chamber 6, and the central thin push rod passes through the circular hole in the front wall of the throwing control chamber 6. The rear end is fixed to the clamping plate 7.

[0052] The ejector spring 5 provides elastic force, converting elastic potential energy into the kinetic energy of the anchor 1. Its spring stiffness and length should be adapted to the weight of the anchor 1 and the required anchoring distance. The core energy of the entire ejector anchoring device comes from the mechanical energy pre-stored in the ejector spring 5. Only a small-power, brief current needs to be supplied to the electromagnet 8 at the moment of triggering to complete the magnetic attraction. The release of the clamping plate 7 instantly releases the constraint on the pre-compressed ejector spring 5, and the elastic potential energy stored in the ejector spring 5 is quickly and efficiently converted into kinetic energy. Through the push rod 4, a powerful thrust is concentrated on the anchor 1. The anchor 1 moves at high speed along the relatively smooth track inside the guide cylinder 2 and is accelerated and ejected, achieving long-distance casting.

[0053] The front end face of the launching control chamber 6 has a round hole for guiding the central thin push rod of the push rod 4; the upper surface has slots, including a square hole and a round hole. The square hole is used to cooperate with the buckle 13 for the buckle 13 to pass through, and the round hole is used to cooperate with the cover plate for the cover plate to pass through; the interior of the launching control chamber has sufficient space to allow for the rearward displacement of the push rod 4 and the clamping plate 7 when the anchor is installed to compress the ejection spring; the rear end face of the launching control chamber has a small hole for the power supply and control wires to pass through.

[0054] The plate 7 is a composite flat plate structure with a rectangular upper part and a semi-circular lower part. The upper side is flat and easy to cooperate with the buckle 13, while the lower side is round and can easily and stably contact the inner wall of the launching control cabin. The front edge of the upper side is straight to achieve stable locking with the buckle 13 in the ejection energy storage state. The rear edge is processed into an arc surface to ensure that when the anchor compresses the ejection spring to push the plate 7 back, the buckle 13 can be smoothly lifted, which is convenient for reloading the anchor 1.

[0055] The locking hook of the plate 7 and the buckle 13 cooperate to control the unlocking or locking of the ejection mechanism.

[0056] Electromagnet 8 is located inside the launching control compartment 6. Applying current to it generates a magnetic field, pulling armature 9, which in turn releases the release spring 13 via the cover plate, thus releasing and launching the anchor. Electromagnet 8, armature 9, and return spring 10 constitute the electromagnet assembly, which is existing technology and will not be described in detail. The cover plate 11 cooperates with the electromagnet assembly. Under the action of external current, the cover plate 11 moves downward, thereby leveraging the latch 13 via the latch hinge 12, disengaging the locking hook from the latch plate 7, thus releasing the latch plate 7 and launching the anchor 1.

[0057] In the locking mechanism, the slope of the bevel at the front end of the latch 13 should be appropriate. If it is too large, the normal force at the contact surface between the latch plate 7 and the latch 13 will be too small when the anchor 1 is reloaded, making it impossible to push the latch 13 up. If it is too small, it may cause abnormal release of the latch plate 7. After the magnetic triggering action is completed, the reset spring 10 automatically pushes the cover plate 11 and the latch 13 linked by the lever mechanism back to the initial locking position, preparing for the next manual reloading of the anchor 1.

[0058] Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the remote-controlled winch includes an electromagnet assembly, a motor, a housing, a one-way bearing, a gear on the motor side end face, a main shaft, a gear on the winch side end face, a winch base, and a winch.

[0059] The electromagnet assembly includes an electromagnet 21, a spring 22, and an armature; this assembly is existing technology. The electromagnet 21 is located at the front end of the winch and generates magnetic force when energized. The spring 22 is fixedly connected to the housing of the electromagnet 21, and its other end is connected to the tail of the motor 23. The spring contains an armature; when the electromagnet 21 is energized, it pulls the motor 23 towards it by traction on the armature; when the power is off, the spring 22 pushes the motor 23 back to its original position.

[0060] Motor 23 is an induction motor connected to the main shaft. It can rotate forward when powered on and rotate freely under external force after power is cut off, including the ability to rotate freely in reverse. This motor is existing technology.

[0061] The housing of motor 23 is connected to the sliding groove 24 on the housing by two sliders, which can both limit the rotation of motor 23 and ensure translation along the axial direction.

[0062] One-way bearing 25 is used to restrict the forward rotation degree of freedom of spindle 27, which is the rotation direction of spindle 27 when the lightweight anchor cable 3 is released.

[0063] The motor side end face gear 26 is interference-fitted with its internal one-way bearing 25, and a shoulder is provided on the main shaft 27 for axial positioning.

[0064] The winch side end face gear 28 is fixed inside the housing, and the main shaft passes through its middle part through a cylindrical roller bearing, allowing it to translate axially relative to the main shaft.

[0065] The main shaft 27 is connected to the motor side end face gear through a one-way bearing, passes through the winch side end face gear and cylindrical roller bearing fixed inside the housing, and the mating section of the main shaft 27 with the winch is a hexagonal cylindrical surface that fits into the hexagonal inner hole of the winch to wind the lightweight anchor cable 3. A barb 29 is welded on the surface of the winch, and the other end is connected to the winch base 30 through a cylindrical roller bearing, which can realize the main shaft driving the winch to rotate and the axial translation relative to the winch.

[0066] When the motor-side end face gear 26 meshes with the winch-side end face gear 28, it can restrict the forward rotation of the main shaft 27 through the one-way bearing 25.

[0067] The barb 29 is welded to the winch and is used to attach a lightweight anchor cable. The barb includes a connecting part and a bending part. The end of the bending part forms an opening between itself and the main shaft. The opening faces the same direction as the linear velocity of the barb when retrieving the lightweight anchor cable. When the lightweight anchor cable 3 is released (the main shaft 27 rotates clockwise), because the linear velocity of the barb 29 is in the same direction as the release direction of the lightweight anchor cable 3, the barb 29 does not generate any force, allowing for easy unhooking. When the drive motor 23 retrieves the lightweight anchor cable (the main shaft 27 rotates counterclockwise), the force of the barb 29 is opposite to the release direction of the lightweight anchor cable 3, causing the lightweight anchor cable 3 to tighten and allowing it to be rewound.

[0068] Figure 6 The positioning and mounting device shown includes a positioning plate.

[0069] The rear slide 31 consists of two parts: an arc-shaped slide 31 on top and a circular mounting hole on the bottom. When adjusting the launch angle, the control cabin support 14 and the guide tube support 15 rotate around the hole and along the rear slide 31 and the front slide 33, respectively.

[0070] The positioning plate 32 has four mounting holes 34, which allows the structure to be installed in a modular form on different devices.

[0071] The embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0072] Anchoring function: After the anchoring command is issued, the electromagnet 21 is energized and held, and the traction motor 23 moves axially, causing the gear 26 on the motor side end face to separate from the gear 28 on the winch side end face. At this time, the main shaft 27 is in a free-rotating state. Then the ejection mechanism is triggered, the anchor 1 is ejected, and the tension of the lightweight anchor cable 3 drives the main shaft 27 to rotate freely, releasing the anchor cable.

[0073] Anchoring Function: After anchor 1 sinks to the seabed, the power supply to electromagnet 21 is stopped, and motor 23 is reset under the action of spring 22. The gear 26 on the motor side end face re-engages with the gear 28 on the winch side end face. Subsequently, motor 23 is powered on, driving main shaft 27 to reverse, retrieving part of the anchor cable until the anchor is firmly secured. After the motor is powered off, due to the action of one-way bearing 25, the forward rotation (cable laying direction) of main shaft 27 is automatically locked, thereby fixing the length of the anchor cable and achieving anchoring.

[0074] Recycling function: After the recycling command is issued, the motor 23 is powered on to drive the main shaft 27 to continuously reverse, winding and recycling the lightweight anchor cable 3 until the anchor 1 is retracted.

[0075] Anchor Drop Function: When the anchor cannot be retrieved, an anchor drop command is issued. At this time, the electromagnet 21 is energized again, causing the gears on both ends to separate, and the main shaft 27 resumes free rotation. Subsequently, the unmanned monitoring vessel uses its own power to move away, dragging the entire anchor cable out until its fixed end detaches from the winch hook 29, completing the dropping process. Example 2

[0076] Figure 1 As shown, a near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel includes a hull and monitoring system, a propulsion and dynamic positioning system, and at least one small modular jettisonable automatic mooring device for near-shore unmanned monitoring vessels according to embodiment one.

[0077] The hull and monitoring system S1 typically integrates a power supply, solar panels, control computing unit, GPS / BeiDou positioning module, motion measurement unit, wind speed and direction sensors, water quality multi-parameter sensors, etc., to collect marine environmental data in real time and sense its own position and attitude and surrounding conditions, as well as adjust its attitude according to commands or real-time parameters.

[0078] The propulsion and dynamic positioning system S2 generally uses electric propellers and is equipped with twin propellers. It not only ensures the normal navigation of the ship, but also automatically switches to dynamic positioning mode when the automatic anchoring device has insufficient anchoring force or reduced positioning accuracy due to special sea conditions. Through thrust compensation, it offsets environmental disturbances such as wind, waves, and currents, and provides stable position holding capability for monitoring tasks.

[0079] The S3 small modular disposable automatic mooring device achieves low power consumption, rapid deployment, and reliable system recovery mooring functions through the coordinated operation of three major modules: ejector anchoring device, remote control winch, and positioning and installation device.

[0080] Among them, the small modular disposable automatic mooring device S3 is installed around the ship's side. The number and installation position are reasonably selected according to the ship's size to ensure reliable mooring.

[0081] The above three systems together constitute a complete autonomous mooring operation platform.

[0082] The embodiments of the present invention are as follows:

[0083] Dynamic positioning function: The automatic mooring device and the propulsion and dynamic positioning system S2 of this invention together constitute a cooperative mooring-dynamic positioning hybrid system. This function is mainly triggered in two situations:

[0084] (1) After the "anchoring function" is completed, the system is automatically activated, and the control module continuously processes the GPS / BeiDou position and attitude data from the sensor system to monitor the hull position in real time. When insufficient anchoring force is detected and the hull drift exceeds the preset positioning error range, the controller immediately sends a command to the propulsion and dynamic positioning system to start the dynamic positioning mode. The thrusters will adjust the power according to the position error vector to keep the platform within the original observation range.

[0085] (2) If the anchoring conditions are deemed unfavorable (such as water depth exceeding the limit or insufficient seabed anchoring force) before or during the execution of the "anchoring function", the system can directly adopt the pure dynamic positioning mode to maintain the ship's position.

[0086] The beneficial effects of this invention are:

[0087] This eliminates the strict requirement of traditional anchoring methods that require unmanned monitoring equipment to be anchored directly above the target anchoring point. The equipment can be launched instantly via remote control commands while underway, launching the anchor at high speed to the predetermined landing point. This enables fast and efficient anchoring operations, significantly improving deployment efficiency and response speed.

[0088] By adjusting the launch direction of anchor 1 through the positioning and installation device, the high initial velocity brought about by the energy conversion of the ejection spring 5, and the symmetrical stability design of anchor 1 itself, the degree of conformity between the anchor entry point and the preset target position is improved, providing a more reliable anchoring guarantee for the fixed-point monitoring task.

[0089] The catapult anchoring power relies entirely on the mechanical energy released by the pre-compressed catapult spring 5. Only a small instantaneous current is needed to the electromagnet 8 at the time of triggering to release the catapult spring 5, and the electromagnet 21 is kept energized during the anchoring process. The whole device has low power consumption and is well-suited to the high energy power requirements of small unmanned monitoring equipment that relies on new energy sources such as solar energy and wave energy for power supply.

[0090] The synergy between dynamic positioning and automatic mooring can improve the accuracy and reliability of fixed-point dwelling under different sea conditions. Dynamic compensation can make up for the insufficient positioning force that may exist in pure mooring and enhance the adaptability of the system. Even after the mooring conditions are insufficient or the unmanned vessel is actively "abandoned", it can still continue to perform its mission by relying on dynamic positioning.

[0091] This invention features a modular structure with a compact internal layout and simplified design. It eliminates the need for bulky mechanisms such as traditional winches and long chains, significantly reducing the load on the equipment and optimizing space utilization. It can be installed on various unmanned monitoring devices.

[0092] The device's ejection and anchoring mechanism is automated and easy to operate. It only requires manual loading of the anchor 1 and compression of the ejection spring 5 to complete the reset, which greatly improves the convenience and reliability of use. It enables the monitoring equipment to complete the anchoring task autonomously, and the anchor can be retrieved and discarded through the winch. This expands the operational adaptability and application range of the unmanned monitoring equipment and reduces costs to a certain extent.

[0093] The above embodiments are preferred embodiments of the present invention, but the embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the above embodiments. Any changes, modifications, substitutions, combinations, or simplifications made without departing from the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be considered equivalent substitutions and shall be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned monitoring vessel in nearshore waters, comprising a catapult anchoring device, a remote-controlled winch, and a positioning and mounting device, wherein the catapult anchoring device and the remote-controlled winch are both mounted on the positioning and mounting device, characterized in that: The catapult-launched anchoring device includes an anchor, a guide tube, a catapult mechanism, a lightweight anchor cable, a locking mechanism, and a launching control chamber. The rear section of the anchor is inserted into the guide tube, and the rear end of the guide tube is connected to the launching control chamber. The launching control chamber contains the catapult mechanism. The front section of the catapult mechanism is located inside the guide tube and contacts the rear end of the anchor, while the rear section is located inside the launching control chamber. One end of the lightweight anchor cable is wound around a remote-controlled winch, and the other end passes through the guide ring on the guide tube and connects to the anchor. The locking mechanism includes an electromagnet assembly, a cover plate, a snap-fit ​​hinge, and a snap-fit. The snap-fit ​​is installed on the launching control chamber via the snap-fit ​​hinge. The tail end of the snap-fit ​​is fixedly connected to the cover plate, and the front end of the snap-fit ​​is a locking hook that can be disengaged from or hooked onto the catapult mechanism. When the electromagnet assembly is energized or de-energized, it causes the cover plate to move horizontally. The cover plate, through the snap-fit, causes the locking hook to move horizontally, thereby unlocking or locking the catapult mechanism.

2. A jettisonable anchoring device for a near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The launch control cabin is a cubic shell. The front side plate of the launch control cabin has a round hole for the ejection mechanism to pass through. The upper side plate of the launch control cabin has a slot for engaging with the latch and cover plate. The electromagnet assembly is fixed to the lower bottom plate of the launch control cabin. The latch hinge is arranged along the left and right direction, and the latch is arranged along the front and back direction. The locking hook is located in front of the latch, and the cover plate is located behind and below the latch.

3. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The ejection mechanism includes a push rod, an ejection spring, and a locking plate. The push rod includes a central thin push rod and a disc located in front of the central thin push rod. The size of the disc corresponds to the inner diameter of the guide tube. The central thin push rod passes through a circular hole in the front wall of the ejection control cabin. The locking plate is fixed to the end of the central thin push rod. The locking plate has a flat plate structure. The lower half of the locking plate is semi-circular, and the upper half is rectangular. The upper end of the locking plate is an arc surface that slopes from the front top to the rear bottom.

4. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 3, characterized in that: The anchor includes an anchor rod and an anchor claw located in front of the anchor rod. The rear end of the anchor rod has a threaded hole, which engages with a screw with a hemispherical tail. The screw is screwed into the threaded hole, thereby holding the lightweight anchor cable on the screw in place by the anchor rod and the screw. The axis of the hemispherical body, the axis of the guide tube, and the axis of the push rod coincide.

5. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower end of the guide tube is provided with a slot for the passage of a lightweight anchor cable. The slot extends forward to the front end of the guide tube. A circular guide ring for the passage of a lightweight anchor cable is welded to the bottom of the guide tube. The circular guide ring is located behind the rear end of the slot. The inner diameter of the guide tube corresponds to the outer diameter of the anchor rod at the rear end of the anchor.

6. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The remote-controlled winch includes a housing, an electromagnet assembly, a motor, a main shaft, a one-way bearing, a motor-side end face gear, a winch-side end face gear, a winch base, and a winch. The electromagnet assembly, motor, motor-side end face gear, and winch-side end face gear are sequentially arranged within the housing. The motor's output shaft is connected to the main shaft. The motor-side end face gear is mounted on the main shaft via a one-way bearing. The main shaft passes through the winch-side end face gear fixed within the housing via a cylindrical roller bearing and engages with the hexagonal inner hole of the winch via a mating section. The winch is located between the housing and the winch base and is used for winding lightweight anchor cables. The housing has a sliding groove... The machine is equipped with a slider, and the slide groove cooperates with the slider; the electromagnet assembly is used to control the axial translation of the motor and switch the meshing state of the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear; the motor drives the main shaft to rotate, and when the motor is de-energized, the main shaft is in a free rotation state; when laying the cable, the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear disengage, and the main shaft is in a free rotation state; when reeling in the cable, the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear mesh, and the main shaft rotates in one direction under the drive of the motor; when anchoring, the motor-side end face gear and the winch-side end face gear mesh, the motor is de-energized, and the main shaft is kept stationary through the one-way bearing and gear meshing.

7. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 6, characterized in that: The winch is equipped with a barb, and the fixed end of the lightweight anchor cable is ring-shaped and fitted onto the barb. The barb includes a connecting part and a bending part. An opening is formed between the end of the bending part and the main shaft. The opening faces the same direction as the linear velocity of the barb when retrieving the lightweight anchor cable.

8. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning and installation device includes a positioning plate with a front sliding groove at the upper front and a rear sliding groove at the lower rear. The positioning plate also has mounting holes for installing the positioning plate. The ejection and anchoring device also includes a guide tube bracket and a control compartment bracket. The guide tube bracket is welded to the guide tube and is angle-adjustably fixed in the front sliding groove. The control compartment bracket is welded to the ejection control compartment and is angle-adjustably fixed in the rear sliding groove.

9. A jettisonable anchoring device for an unmanned offshore monitoring vessel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lightweight anchor cable is made of steel wire rope, which reduces the energy consumption of pulling the lightweight anchor cable after casting; the anchor is made of ordinary carbon steel to increase the initial kinetic energy and increase the casting distance.

10. A near-shore unmanned monitoring vessel, characterized in that: The system includes a hull and monitoring system, a propulsion and dynamic positioning system, and at least one jettisonable mooring device for an offshore unmanned monitoring vessel according to any one of claims 1 to 9; the propulsion and dynamic positioning system includes an electric propulsion unit; when the anchoring force of the automatic mooring device is insufficient, the electric propulsion unit is activated, and the offshore unmanned monitoring vessel enters dynamic positioning mode.

Images