A posture control clamp and observation deployment method for a temperature-salinity profile observation

Abstract

This invention discloses an attitude control fixture and deployment method for temperature-salinity profile observation. The fixture includes a fixture body, a transversely arranged sensor mounting position, at least two longitudinal cable channels orthogonal to the mounting position and symmetrically arranged about the neutral plane, an array of through-holes (open area ratio 15%–35%) disposed in the connecting section, and a buoyancy adjustment unit for balancing. During assembly, the geometric center line of the cable channel is aligned with the transverse center line of the sensor, with a transverse distance difference Δ ≤ 3 mm; the minimum spatial isolation distance d between the sensor sensitive area and the nearest cable channel is ≥ 25 mm, and a shielding ring and insulating partition can be used to suppress electromagnetic interference. The buoyancy adjustment unit controls the net buoyancy of the system |Fn| within a range not exceeding 5% of the component's wet weight through a sliding float and / or counterweight.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of temperature-salinity profile observation technology, and more specifically to an attitude control fixture and observation deployment method for temperature-salinity profile observation. Background Technology

[0002] In marine environmental monitoring, CTD (Conductivity, Temperature, and Difference) profile data is fundamental for density structure characterization and mass transport studies. For long-term, unattended scenarios such as buoy deployment, moored platform deployment, and cable-guided deployment, sensors move with the main deployment cable and are subjected to wave and current-induced loads. Their attitude stability, electrical signal stability, and assembly consistency directly affect the comparability and traceability of the profile data. Engineering practice shows that under low to medium current velocities and general sea conditions, the device's geometric layout, trim status, and electromagnetic compatibility design remain key factors determining data quality.

[0003] Existing installation methods often employ parallel binding or simple clamping of sensors and cables. The cable routing and the sensor's lateral center of gravity are not constrained to the same baseline, easily creating a lateral eccentric lever arm. Under lateral current, this generates disturbance torque, leading to increased pitch / roll and unstable pointing. Connection sections are mostly solid structures, lacking controlled openings for drainage, making it difficult to release peak water loads in a timely manner. The device is prone to transient oscillations during sudden changes in the flow. Balancing typically lacks a defined net buoyancy window, making it difficult to stabilize the system within a narrow range on-site using floats or counterweights. This increases the additional tension on the main cable and causes the device to drift with sea conditions. The spatial distance between cables and the sensor's sensitive areas, as well as the configuration of shielding barriers, lack clear constraints, potentially allowing inductive and common-mode interference to be transmitted to weak signal channels. Furthermore, inconsistent material and quick-assembly structure selection makes it difficult to guarantee dimensional stability and assembly consistency after long-term immersion. The deployment process lacks practical balancing and verification steps.

[0004] Given the aforementioned shortcomings, there is an urgent need for an installation scheme that achieves an orthogonal symmetrical layout of the sensor's lateral mounting position and the cable's longitudinal channel within the same fixture body, and reduces eccentric torque through alignment of the center of gravity / geometric center; a vent array with controlled opening ratio is set in the connection section to form a stable flow and pressure relief path; a sliding float and / or counterweight are introduced to control the system's net buoyancy within a narrow window not exceeding a certain proportion of the component's wet weight for on-site balancing; the minimum spatial isolation distance between sensitive areas and cable channels is specified at the structural level, and can be combined with shielding rings and insulating barriers to suppress electromagnetic interference; suitable corrosion-resistant materials and quick-release locking structures are adopted, and pre-assembly, static balancing, alignment locking, dynamic verification, and fine-tuning are incorporated into the deployment process, thereby improving attitude stability and signal stability within typical sea conditions and current velocity ranges, and enhancing assembly consistency and reproducibility. Summary of the Invention

[0005] To overcome the shortcomings of the prior art, the present invention provides an attitude control fixture and observation deployment method for temperature-salinity profile observation.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution;

[0007] An attitude control fixture for observing temperature-salinity profiles, comprising:

[0008] Fixture body;

[0009] The horizontally positioned sensor mounting position is used to fix a temperature and salinity (CTD) or multi-parameter probe;

[0010] At least two longitudinal cable channels are orthogonally arranged to the sensor mounting position, and the cable channels are arranged symmetrically about the neutral plane of the fixture body;

[0011] An array of through-holes is formed in the connecting section of the fixture body, wherein the opening ratio of the flow-facing surface of the connecting section is between 15% and 35%.

[0012] And a buoyancy adjustment unit, used to regulate the net buoyancy Fn of the sensor, clamp, and buoyancy adjustment unit within the range of |Fn|≤5%·W (W is the wet weight of the component); wherein:

[0013] (a) The geometric center line of the cable channel is aligned with the transverse centroid line of the sensor, and the transverse distance difference between them is Δ≤3mm;

[0014] (b) The minimum spatial isolation distance d between the sensor and the nearest cable channel is ≥25mm.

[0015] In a specific embodiment, the drain hole is an oblong hole or a spindle-shaped hole, and the hole array is arranged parallel to the outer boundary of the fixture body.

[0016] In one specific embodiment, the buoyancy adjustment unit includes a float assembly and / or a replaceable counterweight that are slidably disposed along a slide rail parallel to the flow direction.

[0017] In one specific implementation, the cable channel is used to accommodate a main drop cable with a diameter of 6 to 12 mm.

[0018] In one specific embodiment, the fixture body is made of polyoxymethylene (POM) or an engineering plastic equivalent to POM in terms of density, water absorption, and tensile modulus.

[0019] In one specific embodiment, a shielding ring and an insulating partition are provided between the sensitive area of ​​the sensor and the cable channel, wherein the shielding ring is a conductive plating layer or an alloy ring, and the insulating partition is a polycarbonate or polyimide sheet, used to suppress electromagnetic interference.

[0020] A method for deploying temperature-salinity profile observations based on the aforementioned clamp, comprising:

[0021] S1 Pre-installation: Fix the sensor to the sensor mounting position on the deck, and thread the main lowering cable through and lock it in the longitudinal cable channel;

[0022] S2 Static Balancing: Measure the wet weight and buoyancy of the water in still water, and adjust the float and / or counterweight to make Fn ≤ 5%·W;

[0023] S3 Alignment and Locking: Adjust to align the geometric center line of the cable channel with the transverse center line of the sensor, Δ≤3mm, and lock.

[0024] S4 Dynamic Verification: Perform a dynamic release test on the deck. If the attitude stability or electrical noise exceeds the threshold, return to S2 fine-tuning.

[0025] S5 Deployment and Online Fine-tuning: Deploy the buoy within the offshore operation window and make slight adjustments to its position based on current conditions to keep Fn within the target range.

[0026] The beneficial effects are as follows: The fixture arranges the sensor's lateral mounting position orthogonally and symmetrically with the longitudinal cable channel, and controls the alignment error between the cable centerline and the sensor's lateral center of gravity line to not exceed 3 mm during assembly. This reduces the sway caused by eccentric torque, thus making the attitude more stable during common lowering / retrieval processes. The vent array with an opening ratio of 15%–35% in the connecting section provides a pressure relief and flow bypass channel for the water flow, which helps reduce the instantaneous load peak at low to medium flow velocities, but the improvement is related to the flow velocity, shape, and installation position. The buoyancy adjustment unit controls the net buoyancy to within 5% of the wet weight, facilitating repeatable balancing under different mounting combinations and sea conditions, reducing additional tension on the main cable and making the attitude deviation more controllable. Maintaining a distance of ≥25 mm between the sensitive area and the cable channel, and using shielding rings and insulating partitions, can suppress inductive and common-mode interference to a certain extent, making the temperature and salinity signal more stable, but the effect still depends on the specific circuit and grounding / shielding scheme. Engineering plastic bodies such as POM and corrosion-resistant fasteners help maintain dimensional and strength stability and reduce maintenance in seawater environments. Combined with a deployment process of "pre-assembly—balancing—alignment—verification—deployment / fine-tuning," assembly consistency and reproducibility can be improved. Actual benefits need to be verified using test data from target operating conditions. Attached Figure Description

[0027] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on the provided drawings without creative effort.

[0028] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the fixture body in this invention.

[0030] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of the deployment method in this invention. Detailed Implementation

[0031] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0032] The present invention will be further described below with reference to an implementable structural scheme. This embodiment does not limit the scope of protection of the present invention, and all equivalent modifications made by those skilled in the art without departing from the concept of the present invention should fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] In one embodiment, the attitude control fixture includes a fixture body 1, a transversely arranged sensor mounting position 2, two longitudinal cable channels 3a and 3b arranged symmetrically about the neutral plane and orthogonal to the sensor mounting position 2, a through-hole array 5 disposed on the body connecting section 4, and a buoyancy adjustment unit 6 disposed on the top of the body.

[0035] The fixture body 1 is preferably made of polyoxymethylene (POM) through integral injection molding. The outer dimensions of the body can be L=160~200mm, W=70~100mm, H=40~60mm, the wall thickness t of the body shell is 3~5mm, and the flatness of the key mating surfaces is not greater than 0.15mm.

[0036] Sensor mounting position 2 is a transversely penetrating cylindrical cavity with an inner diameter range of φ30~φ44 mm. It is preferred to use a replaceable adapter ring to achieve interference or clearance fit for sensors with different outer diameters. The radial fit clearance between the adapter ring and the outer circle of the sensor is controlled at 0.05~0.20 mm. The axial positioning of the sensor relies on the positioning shoulder at the end, with a shoulder height of 4~6 mm.

[0037] Cable channels 3a and 3b run vertically through the main body. The channel diameter is adapted to the main cable 10 with diameters of φ6 to φ12 mm. The channel axis is symmetrical about the neutral plane, and the angular deviation of the channel axis relative to the neutral plane is no more than 2°.

[0038] To improve the cable's anti-slip capability, the inner wall of the channel is covered with an elastic bushing with a thickness of 1.0 to 1.5 mm. The material is synthetic rubber with a Shore A70±5 and a static friction coefficient μs of not less than 0.6. The frontal surface of the main connecting section 4 is provided with a through-hole array 5. The drain holes are oblong or spindle-shaped holes, and the hole array is arranged parallel to the outer boundary of the main body. The overall opening ratio φ (total projected area of ​​holes / projected area of ​​the frontal surface of the connecting section) is controlled within the range of 15% to 35% to provide a stable flow and pressure relief channel while ensuring structural rigidity.

[0039] The buoyancy adjustment unit 6 includes a float assembly or a replaceable counterweight. The float assembly uses closed-cell foam material or a hollow plastic shell, and can be added or removed as needed for balancing. The structural arrangement between the main body 1 and the sensor mounting position 2 ensures that the geometric center lines of the cable channels 3a and 3b are on the same lateral reference line as the lateral center line of the sensor 11, with a lateral distance difference Δ≤3mm.

[0040] To suppress electromagnetic interference, a shielding ring and an insulating partition are installed between the sensitive area of ​​sensor 11 (conductivity cell electrode / temperature sensitive element / weak signal front end) and the nearest cable channel. The shielding ring is made of nickel-plated copper alloy or stainless steel thin ring and is electrically connected to the sensor housing at the same potential. The insulating partition is made of 0.3-0.8 mm thick polycarbonate or polyimide sheet. The relative arrangement of the two ensures that the minimum spatial isolation distance d from the sensitive area to the inner wall of the cable channel is ≥25 mm. All fasteners are preferably made of 316L stainless steel or titanium alloy, with anti-loosening treatment on the surface. The target torque at the key locking position is 3-4 N·m.

[0041] In terms of working principle, the fixture uses the orthogonal geometric relationship and symmetrical arrangement of "lateral sensor - longitudinal cable" to make the lateral center line of sensor 11 coincide with the geometric center line of cable channel, thereby shortening the lateral lever arm under the action of lateral flow to the design tolerance range, thereby reducing the disturbance torque M=Fy·l and reducing pitch / roll response.

[0042] The vent array 5 of the connecting section 4 provides a path for flow around and pressure difference relief under the condition of facing the flow, which is equivalent to reducing the peak value of local additional load and additional mass without significantly increasing the windward area, so that the amplitude and recovery time of attitude disturbance are measurably improved; the constraint of the hole array direction makes the streamlines develop smoothly in the longitudinal direction on the main body surface, avoiding the asymmetric shedding of the transverse vortex structure on both sides of the connecting section and inducing oscillation.

[0043] The buoyancy adjustment unit 6 adjusts the position of the float assembly and the number of counterweights to ensure that the net buoyancy Fn of the "sensor + fixture + buoyancy adjustment unit" meets the balance requirement of |F_n|≤5%·W (W is the wet weight of the assembly). Under this balance requirement, the system's sensitivity to surges and gradually changing flow velocities is reduced, while the additional tension on the main lowering cable 10 does not increase significantly. The shielding ring and insulating partition, combined with the structural constraint of the minimum spatial isolation distance d, form a geometric-material dual isolation path against inductive coupling and common-mode interference. Combined with the grounding / shielding design of the sensor circuit, this reduces noise fluctuations in weak signal channels. In terms of materials, the POM body provides low water absorption and high dimensional stability, ensuring the stability of guidance, positioning, and sealing dimensions under long-term immersion conditions.

[0044] Based on the above structure, the deployment method of this embodiment is executed according to S1 to S5. In S1, the sensor 11 is positioned and installed on the deck, and the main lowering cable 10 is threaded through and locked in cable channels 3a and 3b. In S2, the wet weight is measured in still water and the buoyancy is estimated. Based on the target of |Fn|≤5%·W, coarse balancing is achieved by moving the float assembly or adding / removing counterweights. In S3, the lateral alignment is measured and corrected using positioning ribs and external fixtures to ensure Δ≤3 mm, and then locked with the specified torque. In S4, dynamic deployment verification is performed, and inertial measurement data and electrical signal noise indicators are collected. If the attitude stability or electrical noise exceeds the threshold, the process returns to S2 for fine-tuning of the float position or counterweight distribution. In S5, the assembly is lowered within the offshore operation window, and the float position is slightly slipped according to the on-site flow velocity to maintain Fn within the target balancing requirements. Through the above process, structural tolerances, balancing targets, and testing criteria are solidified in a closed loop at the process level, allowing those skilled in the art to reproduce and implement the process.

[0045] The various embodiments in this specification are described in a progressive manner, with each embodiment focusing on its differences from other embodiments. Similar or identical parts between embodiments can be referred to interchangeably. For the apparatus disclosed in the embodiments, since they correspond to the methods disclosed in the embodiments, the description is relatively simple; relevant parts can be referred to the method section.

[0046] The above description of the disclosed embodiments enables those skilled in the art to make or use the invention. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Therefore, the invention is not to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is to be accorded the widest scope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An attitude control fixture for observing temperature-salinity profiles, characterized in that, include: Fixture body; The horizontally positioned sensor mounting position is used to fix a temperature and salinity (CTD) or multi-parameter probe; At least two longitudinal cable channels are orthogonally arranged to the sensor mounting position, and the cable channels are arranged symmetrically about the neutral plane of the fixture body; An array of through-holes is formed in the connecting section of the fixture body, wherein the opening ratio of the flow-facing surface of the connecting section is between 15% and 35%. And a buoyancy adjustment unit, used to regulate the net buoyancy Fn of the sensor, clamp, and buoyancy adjustment unit within the range of |Fn|≤5%·W (W is the wet weight of the component); wherein: (a) The geometric center line of the cable channel is aligned with the transverse centroid line of the sensor, and the transverse distance difference between them is Δ≤3mm; (b) The minimum spatial isolation distance d between the sensor and the nearest cable channel is ≥25mm.

2. The clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The drain holes are oblong or spindle-shaped holes, and the hole array is arranged parallel to the outer boundary of the fixture body.

3. The clamp according to claim 1, characterized in that, The buoyancy adjustment unit includes a float assembly and / or a replaceable counterweight that can be slidably disposed along a slide rail parallel to the flow direction.

4. The clamp according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, The cable channel is used to accommodate main down-drain cables with a diameter of 6 to 12 mm.

5. The clamp according to any one of claims 4, characterized in that, The fixture body is made of polyoxymethylene (POM) or an engineering plastic equivalent to POM in terms of density, water absorption, and tensile modulus.

6. The clamp according to any one of claims 5, characterized in that, A shielding ring and an insulating partition are provided between the sensitive area of ​​the sensor and the cable channel. The shielding ring is a conductive plating layer or an alloy ring, and the insulating partition is a polycarbonate or polyimide sheet, which is used to suppress electromagnetic interference.

7. A method for deploying temperature-salinity profile observation based on the clamp described in any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, include: S1 Pre-installation: Fix the sensor to the sensor mounting position on the deck, and thread the main lowering cable through and lock it in the longitudinal cable channel; S2 Static Balancing: Measure the wet weight and buoyancy of the water in still water, and adjust the float and / or counterweight to make Fn ≤ 5%·W; S3 Alignment and Locking: Adjust to align the geometric center line of the cable channel with the transverse center line of the sensor, Δ≤3mm, and lock. S4 Dynamic Verification: Perform a dynamic release test on the deck. If the attitude stability or electrical noise exceeds the threshold, return to S2 fine-tuning. S5 Deployment and Online Fine-tuning: Deploy the buoy within the offshore operation window and make slight adjustments to its position based on current conditions to keep Fn within the target range.

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