Fault location and hierarchical self-locking method for pneumatic drive flexible support system of ship

Abstract

The application discloses a fault positioning and hierarchical self-locking method of a pneumatic driving flexible support system for a ship, and belongs to the technical field of intelligent control of shipbuilding equipment. The system is composed of a flexible support cluster unit, a total control unit, a total gas path unit, a data acquisition unit, a communication unit and an execution driving unit. A characteristic parameter library containing four reference indexes of height, load, gas path pressure and electromagnetic valve current is established for each flexible support monomer, abnormality is quickly screened through a deviation threshold method, and the positioning rule of a fault source is determined based on abnormal parameter combination to accurately classify the fault; further, two-level trigger conditions of in-group self-locking and global emergency self-locking are preset to realize rapid isolation of a fault single group or synchronous emergency locking of multiple groups, and after self-locking, manual confirmation and automatic PID closed-loop height calibration are required. The application realizes intelligent management and control of 120 support flexible support monomers in clusters, and effectively guarantees the safety and continuity of the ship section building process.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of intelligent control technology for shipbuilding equipment, specifically to a fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of ship section construction, flexible support systems are core equipment for ensuring the accuracy of hull curves and structural safety, and their operational reliability directly affects the quality and timeline of section construction. Section construction, as the main mode of modern shipbuilding, accounts for more than one-third of the total shipbuilding cycle. However, in the current construction practice of curved sections for ships of 300 tons and below, flexible support systems exhibit significant technical shortcomings and industry pain points in fault diagnosis and safety protection.

[0003] First, traditional flexible support systems generally lack systematic real-time monitoring and fault diagnosis capabilities. Existing technologies mostly employ a "cut-weld-cut" arrangement pattern, where the placement and adjustment of supports heavily rely on manual operation. Workers must position the sections using methods such as "pushing, prying, and pulling," and then fix the supports by welding. In this mode, the support device lacks the ability to monitor construction process data in real time. When single or multiple flexible supports experience faults such as abnormal air pressure, drive motor overload, encoder signal loss, or transmission mechanism jamming, operators find it difficult to promptly identify and locate the fault source. Due to the lack of effective fault diagnosis methods, troubleshooting often requires a significant amount of time for manual inspection of each support, severely restricting the efficiency of segmented construction.

[0004] Secondly, existing clustered support solutions have significant shortcomings in fault protection and graded protection. While some solutions incorporate PLC control systems, they mostly remain at the level of centralized basic motion control. Existing control systems generally lack fault characteristic parameter libraries and intelligent diagnostic algorithms for support clusters, making it impossible to quickly determine the fault type (such as air circuit fault, drive fault, encoder fault, or transmission fault) when a fault occurs. More critically, existing technologies lack a comprehensive graded safety protection mechanism. Once a single flexible support unit fails, the system cannot achieve synchronous self-locking of other flexible support units within the group to isolate the fault, nor does it possess the capability for full-domain emergency self-locking in emergency situations such as simultaneous failures of multiple groups or sudden drops in air source pressure. This lack of protection not only leads to the spread of faults within the cluster but may also cause localized stress concentration in ship sections, line distortion, and even structural safety accidents.

[0005] Furthermore, the existing system suffers from limited monitoring capabilities and poor real-time performance, failing to provide visualized monitoring of cluster operation status and real-time data. The complex working environment at ship section construction sites further complicates the real-time communication between data acquisition and command issuance, weakening the system's ability to respond to unexpected failures.

[0006] In summary, existing marine flexible support systems have significant shortcomings in terms of the accuracy of fault diagnosis, the speed of fault location, and the reliability of graded safety protection. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop an intelligent fault protection method that can achieve accurate fault identification, rapid fault location, and graded safety self-locking to improve the safety, stability, and intelligence level of the ship section construction process. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The summary section of this application is intended to provide a brief overview of the concepts, which will be described in detail in the detailed description section below. This summary section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the claimed technical solutions, nor is it intended to limit the scope of the claimed technical solutions.

[0008] To address the technical shortcomings of existing flexible support systems for ship sectional construction, such as weak fault diagnosis capabilities, inaccurate fault location, and lack of graded safety protection mechanisms, this invention provides a fault location and graded self-locking method for pneumatically driven marine flexible support systems. In existing technologies, when faults such as air circuit anomalies, drive failures, encoder signal loss, or transmission jamming occur in the support unit, operators often struggle to promptly identify the fault source, requiring significant time for piece-by-piece troubleshooting. Furthermore, the lack of a graded protection mechanism allows single-point faults to spread and affect the entire support system if not isolated in time, potentially leading to localized stress concentration, alignment distortion, or even safety accidents in ship sections. This invention establishes a characteristic parameter library for flexible support units, implements a deviation threshold method for fault determination, uses multi-parameter matching for precise fault type location, and combines a two-level self-locking triggering mechanism to achieve rapid and accurate fault identification, location, and graded safety protection. This effectively improves the operational reliability, safety, and intelligence level of flexible support systems during ship sectional construction.

[0009] To achieve the above objectives, the present invention provides the following technical solution:

[0010] As a first aspect of this application, the present invention discloses a fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system, comprising the following steps:

[0011] Step 1: For each flexible support unit with an independent number and physical characteristics in the flexible support cluster unit of the pneumatically driven marine flexible support system, establish a range including normal height fluctuations. Normal load fluctuation range Normal air pressure value and the normal operating current range of the solenoid directional valve Feature parameter library;

[0012] Step 2: Collect the real-time operating parameters of each flexible support unit at a fixed frequency using the data acquisition unit.

[0013] Step 3: After receiving the real-time operating parameters for the current cycle, the main control unit initiates the deviation threshold determination logic to determine whether there is any abnormality in the flexible support unit.

[0014] Step 4: For the flexible support unit determined to be abnormal, the abnormal parameters and feature parameter library are cross-compared in real time through the fault type matching logic to accurately locate the fault source and fault type.

[0015] Step 5: Preset the self-locking trigger conditions within the group and the emergency self-locking trigger conditions for the entire area, and automatically match the corresponding self-locking trigger conditions according to the fault location results;

[0016] Step 6: Based on the matched self-locking trigger conditions, execute intra-group synchronous self-locking or global emergency self-locking respectively to achieve synchronous height locking and gas path cutoff of all flexible support units within the corresponding range.

[0017] Step 7: If the system does not automatically recover after the self-locking is activated, a reset operation must be performed after the fault is confirmed and resolved manually to release the self-locking state and restore the system to normal operation.

[0018] Preferably, in step 3, after the central control unit receives the real-time operating parameters for the current period, it will convert the real-time parameter vector... With feature parameter library The normal range stored in the middle is compared one by one;

[0019] If all real-time parameters fall within the normal range of the feature parameter library, that is... , , , If the current state of the flexible support unit is normal, the regular monitoring cycle continues; if any one or more indicators in the real-time parameters exceed the upper or lower limit defined in the feature parameter library, then... If so, it is immediately determined that the flexible support unit is abnormal.

[0020] Preferably, in step 4, the fault type matching logic involves cross-referencing the real-time abnormal parameters of the flexible support unit with a feature parameter database to accurately pinpoint the location of the fault source. The location rule is as follows:

[0021] air pressure This indicates a gas circuit malfunction.

[0022] Solenoid directional valve operating current This indicates a drive failure;

[0023] Lifting height This indicates an encoder fault;

[0024] Bearing load This indicates a transmission failure.

[0025] Preferably, in step 5, the intra-group self-locking trigger condition is defined as the control subunit. Any one of the flexible support units is determined to be in a fault state, that is... The global emergency self-locking trigger condition is defined as satisfying any of the following conditions:

[0026] Any two or more control subunits can simultaneously trigger intra-group self-locking;

[0027] Total gas source pressure Reduced to a safe threshold the following;

[0028] The operator issues a manual emergency self-locking command. .

[0029] Preferably, in step 6, when the group-wide self-locking trigger condition is met, a signal is sent to the control subunit. Issuing a synchronization group self-locking command to execute synchronization self-locking within the group is represented as follows: ,in =1 indicates a control subunit. Self-locking =0 indicates a control subunit. Normally, the thirty flexible support units within the control subunit group synchronously self-lock and cut off the corresponding group-level gas path; when the full-domain emergency self-lock trigger condition is met, it sends signals to all control subunits. Issuing a global self-locking command to execute a global emergency self-locking is represented as This enables full-domain synchronous self-locking of the four control sub-unit clusters, locking the current support height of all flexible support units.

[0030] Preferably, in step 7, after the reset is completed, a forced trigger is performed once within the group. Achieve highly precise synchronization of flexible support units within the group:

[0031] For each group of control subunits ;

[0032] Real-time acquisition of the actual height of the flexible support unit within the group in the control subunit Calculate height deviation ;

[0033] Height deviation PID closed-loop control formula Control output This causes the height of the flexible support unit within the group to converge towards the target value after compensation and adjustment.

[0034] As a second aspect of this application, the present invention discloses... ,include:

[0035] The flexible support cluster unit, comprising multiple sets of flexible support clusters, is used to perform full-domain support and attitude maintenance for ship sections;

[0036] The main control unit includes multiple control subunits corresponding to multiple sets of... Used to receive real-time operating parameters transmitted back by the data acquisition unit, and generate control commands after algorithm calculation, which are then sent to the execution drive unit and the main air circuit unit;

[0037] The main air circuit unit is used to provide pneumatic power to the system, enabling centralized air supply, group shutdown control, and independent drive of individual units;

[0038] The data acquisition unit is used to collect the operating parameters of all flexible support units in each flexible support cluster in real time and upload them to the main control unit.

[0039] The communication unit is used to realize bidirectional data interaction and command issuance between the main control unit and each unit;

[0040] The drive unit is used to receive control commands from the main control unit and drive the pneumatic motor and solenoid directional valve to operate.

[0041] The main control unit is connected to the data acquisition unit, the execution drive unit, and the main air circuit unit through the communication unit; the main air circuit unit is connected to the execution drive unit through pneumatic pipelines, and the execution drive unit is connected to each flexible support unit of the multiple sets of flexible support clusters through electrical drive cables to drive each flexible support unit to perform actions.

[0042] Preferably, the flexible support cluster unit comprises four independent flexible support clusters, each consisting of 30 pneumatically driven flexible support units, totaling 120 flexible support units forming a grid-like support layout. Each flexible support unit integrates a base, lifting unit, reducer, pneumatic motor, and encoder. The lifting unit consists of a trapezoidal lead screw and modular support columns. Each flexible support cluster has an independent number, and each flexible support unit has a unique feature parameter library.

[0043] Preferably, the communication unit adopts the Profinet industrial fieldbus with a star topology. The main control unit acts as the master station, and the four control sub-units are connected to the network via a switch. The 30 flexible support units in each control sub-unit are connected in parallel to the corresponding group-level gateway via the fieldbus interface, enabling the master station to conduct orderly polling and command broadcasting to all 120 flexible support unit slave nodes. The main pneumatic circuit unit adopts a hierarchical pipeline, including one main trunk pipeline, four group-level branch pipelines, 120 flexible support unit manifolds, and corresponding three-position five-way solenoid directional valves. In the self-locking protection mechanism, after receiving the self-locking command, the main pneumatic circuit unit cuts off the air supply to the corresponding group-level branch pipeline or the main trunk pipeline, and the mechanical self-locking characteristics of the trapezoidal screw achieve dual safety protection of pneumatic cut-off and mechanical locking.

[0044] As a third aspect of this application, the present invention also discloses an electronic device comprising:

[0045] At least one processor, and a memory communicatively connected to said at least one processor;

[0046] The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, which, when executed by the at least one processor, enables the at least one processor to perform the steps of the fault location and graded self-locking method for the pneumatically driven marine flexible support system described above.

[0047] Compared with the prior art, the beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows:

[0048] This invention provides a fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system, achieving accurate fault identification and rapid location. By establishing a characteristic parameter library for the flexible support unit containing four parameters—height, load, air pressure, and operating current—and combining the deviation threshold method with multi-parameter matching logic, the specific type of fault, such as air circuit fault, drive fault, encoder fault, or transmission fault, can be accurately determined within 100 ms after the fault occurs. This significantly shortens the fault diagnosis time and solves the problems of difficult fault location and low diagnosis efficiency in traditional methods. Meanwhile, a comprehensive two-tiered safety protection mechanism was constructed. Through a hierarchical protection design combining intra-group self-locking and global emergency self-locking, it can achieve synchronous self-locking within the group to prevent the fault from spreading when a single flexible support fails. It can also trigger global emergency self-locking when multiple groups fail, the air source pressure is too low, or manual emergency intervention occurs, achieving synchronous height locking of 120 flexible support units in four groups. This ensures that the ship section will not become unstable or collapse under any abnormal working conditions. Furthermore, the design that prioritizes self-locking commands over conventional control commands ensures the immediacy and inviolability of safety protection, avoiding delays or failures in protection actions due to interference from conventional control commands in emergency situations. In addition, the manual reset and system calibration mechanism after fault troubleshooting ensures that the system can quickly and safely return to normal operation after experiencing fault protection, minimizing the impact of faults on the construction progress of the ship sections, thereby significantly improving the safety, continuity, and intelligence level of the ship section construction process. Attached Figure Description

[0049] The accompanying drawings, which form part of this application, are used to provide a further understanding of the application and to make other features, objects, and advantages of the application more apparent. The illustrative embodiments and descriptions of this application are used to explain the application and do not constitute an undue limitation of the application.

[0050] In the attached diagram:

[0051] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating the steps of the fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0052] Figure 2 This is a connection structure diagram of the pneumatically driven flexible support system for ships in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0053] Figure 3 This is a connection structure diagram of the main air circuit unit in the pneumatically driven flexible support system for ships in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 4 This is a connection structure diagram of the main control unit and the flexible support cluster unit within the pneumatically driven marine flexible support system in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 5This is an execution block diagram of the fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0056] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0057] Embodiments of this disclosure will now be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. While some embodiments of this disclosure are shown in the drawings, it should be understood that this disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided to provide a more thorough and complete understanding of this disclosure. It should be understood that the accompanying drawings and embodiments of this disclosure are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0058] It should also be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the invention are shown in the accompanying drawings. Unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this disclosure can be combined with each other.

[0059] Example

[0060] In an embodiment of the present invention, a pneumatically driven flexible support system for ships is disclosed, such as... Figures 2 to 4 As shown, this invention constructs an integrated hardware architecture of "control core—execution cluster—power supply—data perception—communication interaction—action execution," with each unit deeply integrated and cooperating to achieve clustered, intelligent, and high-precision control of 120 flexible support units. The specific components of this pneumatically driven marine flexible support system include a flexible support cluster unit, a main control unit, a main pneumatic circuit unit, a data acquisition unit, a communication unit, and an execution drive unit.

[0061] The flexible support cluster unit is the core execution module of the system, and it is composed of... Each group consists of 30 air-pressure driven flexible support units, totaling 4 × 30 = 120 flexible support units forming a grid-like support layout, adaptable to various applications. This system provides comprehensive support for sections of ships of class 2 and below. Each flexible support unit includes an integrated base, lifting unit, reducer, pneumatic motor, and encoder. The lifting unit consists of a trapezoidal screw and modular support columns, available in 500mm, 1000mm, and 1500mm sizes, which, when assembled with the trapezoidal screw, achieve a lifting stroke of 0–2000mm. Each control subunit has an independent number and physical characteristics, and each flexible support unit has a unique identifier within the system, providing a foundation for subsequent characteristic parameter database establishment, accurate fault location, and graded self-locking.

[0062] The main control unit is the core control unit of the system. It comprises four control subunits corresponding to the flexible support cluster, and utilizes an industrial-grade PLC controller with a response time ≤50ms. Internally, it integrates core algorithms including a grouped independent parameter parsing algorithm, a fault diagnosis and location algorithm, and a hierarchical self-locking triggering algorithm, supplemented by a grouped PID closed-loop synchronization algorithm. The main control unit receives real-time operating parameters from the data acquisition unit, generates control commands through algorithmic calculations, and issues them to the execution drive unit and the main air circuit unit, achieving intelligent control of the entire system process. In fault diagnosis and self-locking scenarios, the main control unit incorporates deviation threshold judgment logic and fault type matching logic. It can compare real-time parameters of the flexible support unit with the characteristic parameter library in real time, accurately locate the fault source, and instantly issue the highest priority self-locking command based on preset intra-group / global self-locking triggering conditions, ensuring rapid fault isolation and attitude preservation.

[0063] The main pneumatic circuit unit is the system's pneumatic power supply module, employing a hierarchical piping design of "main air source—main trunk pipeline—group-level branch pipelines—flexible support unit manifold." It includes a main air source, one main trunk pipeline, four group-level branch pipelines, 120 flexible support unit manifolds, and corresponding three-position five-way solenoid directional valves, enabling centralized supply of the main air source, group shut-off control, and independent drive of the flexible support units. Pneumatic circuit action commands are issued by the group-independent parameter parsing algorithm of the main control unit, ensuring precise linkage between the on / off state of the group-level branch pipelines and the flexible support unit manifolds and the control subunit status, as well as the flexible support unit control commands. In the self-locking protection mechanism, upon receiving a self-locking command within a group or across the entire system, the main pneumatic circuit unit can quickly cut off the air supply to the corresponding group-level branch pipeline or main trunk pipeline, stopping all lifting and lowering actions from the power source. Combined with the mechanical self-locking characteristics of the trapezoidal screw, this achieves dual safety assurance of pneumatic cut-off and mechanical locking.

[0064] The data acquisition unit is the system sensing module, equipped with a 1024-line / revolution incremental encoder, a high-precision pressure sensor with a measurement accuracy of ±0.01MPa, and a current sensor. It collects real-time operating parameters of all flexible support units in parallel at a fixed acquisition frequency of 10Hz, including lifting height. Bearing load air pressure Solenoid directional valve operating current The collected data is packaged according to the flexible support unit number and timestamp, and uploaded in real time to the buffer area of ​​the main control unit via the communication unit. This unit provides a real and synchronous data source for the fault diagnosis algorithm, and its collected parameters are defined in the feature parameter library. The four benchmark indicators correspond one-to-one, ensuring that the physical basis for deviation threshold determination and fault type matching is accurate and reliable.

[0065] The communication unit serves as the system's data exchange bridge, employing the Profinet industrial fieldbus. The communication bus uses a star topology, with the central control unit acting as the master station. Four control sub-units are connected via switches, and the 30 flexible support units within each group are connected in parallel to the corresponding group-level gateway via fieldbus interfaces. This enables the master station to perform ordered polling and command broadcasting to all 120 slave nodes. The central control unit uses a time-sharing scheduling algorithm to achieve real-time bidirectional communication with the 120 flexible support units, with a communication refresh cycle... This ensures the real-time and conflict-free nature of data acquisition and command issuance. During fault diagnosis, the communication unit transmits the real-time status vectors of each flexible support unit in an orderly manner according to a time-slot mechanism. When a self-locking command is issued, the main control unit broadcasts the self-locking command within the group or across the entire domain with the highest priority through the communication unit, ensuring that the command reaches all target actuators instantly and avoiding delays in protection actions due to communication delays.

[0066] The actuator unit is the system's action execution module. It receives control commands from the main control unit and drives the pneumatic motor to rotate forward and backward, adjust its speed, and open and close the solenoid directional valve, thereby achieving lifting, lowering, and self-locking actions of the flexible support unit. A 1 / 2HP pneumatic motor is selected to meet heavy-load starting torque requirements. When self-locking protection is activated, the actuator unit, upon responding to the self-locking command, immediately closes all pneumatic motor air supply valves in the fault control subunit and resets the solenoid directional valve to the neutral closed position, halting all moving parts. Combined with air circuit cutoff and lead screw self-locking, the current support height is reliably locked.

[0067] The above six units are tightly coupled to the communication bus through hardware interfaces. Under the unified scheduling of the central control unit, they form a closed-loop control link of "perception-decision-execution-feedback", providing a solid platform support for the efficient implementation of subsequent fault location and hierarchical self-locking methods, and comprehensively improving the system's safety, reliability and intelligence level.

[0068] In this embodiment of the invention, a fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system is also disclosed. The present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. (Refer to...) Figure 1 and Figure 5 As shown, the present invention mainly includes the following steps:

[0069] Step 1: For each flexible support unit with an independent number and physical characteristics in the flexible support cluster unit of the pneumatically driven marine flexible support system, establish a characteristic parameter library including the normal fluctuation range of height, the normal fluctuation range of load, the normal pressure value of the air circuit, and the normal operating current of the electromagnetic reversing valve.

[0070] Step 2: Collect the real-time operating parameters of each flexible support unit at a fixed frequency using the data acquisition unit.

[0071] Step 3: After receiving the real-time operating parameters for the current cycle, the main control unit initiates the deviation threshold determination logic to determine whether there is any abnormality in the flexible support unit.

[0072] Step 4: For the flexible support unit determined to be abnormal, the abnormal parameters and feature parameter library are cross-compared in real time through the fault type matching logic to accurately locate the fault source and fault type.

[0073] Step 5: Preset the self-locking trigger conditions within the group and the emergency self-locking trigger conditions for the entire area, and automatically match the corresponding self-locking trigger conditions according to the fault location results;

[0074] Step 6: Based on the matched self-locking trigger conditions, execute intra-group synchronous self-locking or global emergency self-locking respectively to achieve synchronous height locking and gas path cutoff of all flexible support units within the corresponding range.

[0075] Step 7: If the system does not automatically recover after the self-locking is activated, a reset operation must be performed after the fault is confirmed and resolved manually to release the self-locking state and restore the system to normal operation.

[0076] Specifically, regarding step 1, a dedicated characteristic parameter library is established for each individually numbered and physically characteristic flexible support unit within the flexible support cluster of the pneumatically driven marine flexible support system. This parameter library is not simply a uniform threshold setting, but rather comprehensively considers four key physical indicators of the flexible support unit under normal support conditions, including the normal height fluctuation range. Normal load fluctuation range Normal air pressure value and the normal operating current range of the solenoid directional valve That is, the feature parameter library is represented as Among them, the normal altitude fluctuation range This reflects the reasonable displacement range and normal load fluctuation range of the support column during loading and unloading processes. The normal air pressure value reflects the reasonable stress range of the flexible support unit when bearing the weight of ship sections. This reflects the standard air supply pressure of the pneumatic drive system and the normal operating current range of the solenoid directional valve. These parameters reflect the electrical signal characteristics of valve body on / off switching and state maintenance. The selection of these four parameters covers all key nodes in the flexible support unit's entire chain: "power source (main pneumatic unit) - drive execution (execution drive unit) - position sensing (data acquisition unit) - load output (flexible support cluster unit)." This parameter library is initially calibrated during the system's factory commissioning phase and dynamically updated after each system initialization or calibration operation based on the actual no-load and loaded characteristics of the flexible support unit. This ensures that the reference values ​​always closely match the current true physical state of the flexible support unit, avoiding misjudgments caused by mechanical wear or environmental changes.

[0077] Regarding step 2, the real-time operating parameters of each flexible support unit are acquired at a fixed frequency via the data acquisition unit. Specifically, the data acquisition unit, acting as the system's sensing layer, acquires the real-time operating parameters of each flexible support unit in the system at the current moment through encoders, pressure sensors, and current sensors at a fixed acquisition frequency of 10Hz. For the control subunit... The first in The root flexible support unit collects parameters to form a real-time state vector. These correspond to the real-time lifting height, real-time load, real-time air pressure, and real-time solenoid valve operating current, respectively. To ensure data consistency and comparability, the system uses a bus time-sharing scheduling mechanism to complete parameter acquisition for 120 flexible support units within a unified communication cycle, avoiding spatiotemporal misalignment caused by asynchronous acquisition times. The acquired data is packaged according to the flexible support unit number and timestamp, and uploaded to the buffer of the central control unit via the Profinet industrial fieldbus, awaiting further processing in the fault diagnosis logic.

[0078] Regarding step 3, after receiving the real-time operating parameters for the current period, the main control unit initiates the deviation threshold determination logic to accurately locate the fault type. The characteristic of this step is the use of a rapid screening strategy of "exceeding limits equals anomaly," triggering subsequent diagnostic procedures the moment parameters deviate from the normal range. The main control unit initiates the deviation threshold determination logic upon receiving the real-time operating parameters for the current period. This logic vectorizes the real-time parameter data... With feature parameter library The four normal ranges stored in the database are compared one by one. If the above feature parameter library... If all four real-time parameters fall within the normal range defined in the feature parameter library, the flexible support unit is considered to be in normal condition, and the regular monitoring cycle continues. If any one or more of the real-time parameters exceed the upper or lower limit defined in the feature parameter library (i.e., ...), the flexible support unit is considered to be in normal condition. If an abnormal signal is triggered, the flexible support unit is immediately identified as abnormal. This step uses clearly defined physical boundaries as the basis for determining the deviation threshold, avoiding potential delays and uncertainties that may exist in complex models during engineering applications. Once an abnormal signal is triggered, the system records the flexible support unit's number, abnormal parameter type, and timestamp to the fault log and immediately proceeds to the fault type localization stage, without waiting for data confirmation in subsequent cycles, ensuring the immediacy of the fault response.

[0079] Regarding step 4, for the flexible support unit determined to be abnormal, the fault source is located by comparing abnormal parameters with the feature parameter database in real time using fault type matching logic. The characteristic of this method is that, based on the logic that "abnormal parameter combinations determine the root cause of the fault," it accurately classifies faults through feature matching rather than relying on external tools. Specifically, when a flexible support unit is determined to be abnormal, the main control unit initiates a refined fault type matching logic. This fault type matching logic is based on the fundamental principle that different fault types have different abnormal parameter combination characteristics at the physical layer. It cross-compares real-time abnormal parameters with the feature parameter database to accurately locate the fault source. The location rules of its fault type matching logic are as follows:

[0080] air pressure This indicates a gas circuit malfunction.

[0081] Solenoid directional valve operating current This indicates a drive failure;

[0082] Lifting height This indicates an encoder fault;

[0083] Bearing load This indicates a transmission failure.

[0084] When gas pressure is detected Exceeding The normal range (such as pipeline leaks, sudden drop in gas source pressure, or pressure regulating valve failure), while the height of the flexible support unit Bearing load With operating current If all three parameters remain within the normal range, the fault can be identified as originating in the gas supply circuit, and the root cause of the fault is an abnormality in the power source. When the operating current of the solenoid directional valve is detected... Deviation The normal range (such as coil burnout, poor circuit contact, or drive board failure), and the height of the flexible support unit. When abnormal fluctuations occur (i.e., the motor loses drive, causing uncontrolled support height), while the air pressure and load parameters are still normal, the fault is determined to be located in the electro-pneumatic conversion and actuation drive stage. When the height of the flexible support unit is detected... Exceeding If the load, air pressure, and operating current are all within the normal range (e.g., encoder zero drift, signal loss, or pulse counting errors), and the fault source is determined to be in the position sensing and feedback stage, the fault is essentially a sensor signal distortion; when the load on the flexible support unit is detected... With height If an anomaly occurs simultaneously (such as trapezoidal screw jamming causing the support column to be unable to rise or fall and experiencing a sharp increase in force), while the air pressure and operating current parameters remain normal, the fault source is determined to be in the mechanical transmission link, and the essence of the fault is obstruction of the power transmission path. If multiple fault types are matched simultaneously, the highest level fault will be output in the priority order of air circuit fault > drive fault > transmission fault > encoder fault, and the corresponding alarm and self-locking action will be triggered.

[0085] Once the fault location is determined, the main control unit outputs tiered alarm signals based on the fault level. That is, a fault at the individual flexible support level only triggers a local alarm, while a fault at the group level (when multiple flexible support units in the same group fail simultaneously) triggers a higher-level audible and visual alarm, so that operators can quickly grasp the scope of the fault's impact.

[0086] Regarding step 5, pre-set intra-group self-locking trigger conditions and global emergency self-locking trigger conditions, automatically matching the corresponding self-locking trigger conditions based on the fault location results. The characteristic of this method is that it achieves a gradient response for safety protection by pre-setting two progressive trigger conditions: "intra-group" and "global," avoiding over-protection that could affect operational continuity. Specifically, the main control unit pre-sets two sets of self-locking trigger rules: intra-group self-locking trigger conditions and global emergency self-locking trigger conditions, which are progressive in terms of applicable scope and triggering severity. Self-locking commands have higher priority than conventional control commands such as speed adjustment and calibration, ensuring the safety and stability of system operation and achieving support height locking under fault conditions.

[0087] Group self-locking trigger condition Defined as: Control Subunit If any one of the flexible support units is determined to be in a fault state, there is a possibility of failure. satisfy This means that the self-locking condition within the trigger group is met. This condition has a low threshold, aiming to achieve "early fault isolation and early local locking." Global emergency self-locking triggering condition. The trigger is defined as being triggered when any of the following conditions are met: (a) any two or more control subunits Simultaneously triggering intra-group self-locking (indicating that the fault has spread and single-group locking is insufficient to control the risk); (b) total gas source pressure Reduced to a safe threshold (Value below 0.5MPa) (indicating that the entire system's power source is at risk of loss and the current support posture needs to be maintained urgently); (c) the operator actively issues a manual emergency self-locking command through the emergency stop button or the host computer interface. (This indicates that a human observer noticed an emergency situation that the system algorithm failed to recognize.) The above-mentioned system of intra-group self-locking trigger conditions and global emergency self-locking trigger conditions not only ensures rapid handling of single-point failures, but also reserves a top-level fallback protection channel for large-scale anomalies or human-caused emergencies.

[0088] Regarding step 6, based on the matched self-locking trigger conditions, either intra-group synchronous self-locking or global emergency self-locking is executed to achieve synchronous height locking and gas path cutoff for all flexible support units within the corresponding range. The characteristic of this method is that intra-group synchronous self-locking enables the entire control subunit group to be synchronously locked due to a single-point fault, preventing secondary damage to the faulty flexible support unit due to continued operation, while preserving the normal operating capability of the remaining three control subunit groups. In cases of major anomalies or emergency conditions, global emergency self-locking can directly lock all four control subunit groups (120 flexible support units) without distinguishing fault attribution, maintaining absolute stability to ensure system and structural safety.

[0089] When the main control unit detects the control subunit When the self-locking trigger condition within the group is met, the main control unit sends a signal to the control subunit. Issuing a synchronization group self-locking command enables the thirty flexible support units within the control subunit group to synchronously self-lock and cut off the corresponding group-level gas path, as shown below:

[0090] ;

[0091] in, =1 indicates a control subunit. Self-locking =0 indicates a control subunit. Normal. The self-locking command within this group is instantaneous and mandatory, with higher priority than all conventional speed regulation, lifting, and calibration control commands. At the execution level, the self-locking command simultaneously drives two actions. One action closes the pneumatic motor air supply valves of all thirty flexible support units within the control subunit group through the execution drive unit, stopping all lifting actions. The other action cuts off the group-level air supply branch pipe of the control subunit through the air circuit unit, cutting off the power input at the source. At the same time, the mechanical self-locking characteristics of the trapezoidal screw itself are used to help maintain the current support height, achieving dual locking of air circuit cutoff and mechanical locking. The entire self-locking process can be completed in a very short time, while the other three control subunits that have not triggered the fault are completely unaffected and continue to maintain normal leveling and support operations, minimizing the impact of the fault on the overall segment construction progress.

[0092] When the main control unit detects that the conditions for triggering a full-domain emergency self-locking are met, the main control unit sends a notification to all control subunits. A global self-locking command is issued to achieve synchronized self-locking across the entire cluster of four control subunits, locking the current support height of all flexible support units, as shown below:

[0093] .

[0094] Compared to intra-group self-locking, the full-domain emergency self-locking offers a higher level of response and a wider range of effects. Upon issuance of the full-domain self-locking command, all 120 flexible support units across the four control sub-unit clusters simultaneously enter self-locking mode. The main air supply to all group-level branch pipes is cut off, all electromagnetic directional valves are reset to the neutral closed position, all pneumatic motors are braked, and the height of all support columns is locked at the current moment. Thus, when a fault has spread across groups, the main power source is severely insufficient, or emergency braking is deemed necessary by manual intervention, no local protection measures are sufficient to control the overall risk. Only by simultaneously locking all components can the risk of tilting, slippage, or even falling of ship sections due to uneven support or power loss be minimized, ensuring the safety of construction personnel and the integrity of the ship's structure.

[0095] Regarding step 7, after the system locks, it does not automatically recover. A manual verification process is required to confirm the fault has been resolved before performing a reset operation to release the self-locking state and restore normal system operation. The key feature of this method is that it does not automatically recover after locking, adhering to a manual verification mechanism to prevent accidental system restarts before the fault is completely resolved. Specifically, after a fault occurs, the system enters a self-locking state. The state will be continuously latched. Even if the source of the fault has been eliminated, the system will not automatically release the self-lock. This design fundamentally eliminates the possibility of secondary accidents caused by "automatic recovery before the fault is completely resolved." After the on-site operator has completed the inspection, replacement, or parameter recalibration of the faulty flexible support unit, they can manually input a reset command through the host computer interface of the main controller or a dedicated reset button. Resetting to 0 officially releases the system's self-locking state. After the reset, to ensure the accuracy of the restored support, the system forcibly triggers a grouped PID closed-loop synchronization algorithm. Using the grouped PID closed-loop synchronization algorithm, with the currently undisplaced normal flexible support unit in the same group as a reference, the height of the previously faulty flexible support unit is readjusted to match the target value within the group. During PID calibration after the reset, changes in load distribution within the group are monitored synchronously. If a load deviation exceeds a preset load deviation threshold (e.g., ±5% of rated load), load balancing adjustment is executed in conjunction to ensure that leveling and load-bearing capacity are restored synchronously.

[0096] Should To address the common nonlinearity and response lag characteristics of pneumatic drive systems, as well as the inherent differences in aerodynamic characteristics and load distribution among different control subunits, this paper abandons the traditional uniform parameter control mode and configures independent and dynamically adjustable PID parameter sets for each of the four control subunits. ,in For proportionality coefficient, For integral coefficients, These are differential coefficients, supporting individual parameter calibration and dynamic optimization within a group to adapt to the aerodynamic characteristics and support requirements of different control subunits. During control execution, the data acquisition unit obtains the actual height of each flexible support unit in real time. The central controller uses a unified target height value within the group. Based on this, calculate the real-time deviation of each flexible support unit. Then, the control output is calculated by substituting it into the independent PID formula. This drives the pneumatic motor to implement closed-loop speed regulation. (Represented as...) Building upon this, to further eliminate residual synchronization errors caused by factors such as air pressure fluctuations and load differences among the flexible support units within the group, the algorithm innovatively introduces a deviation mean compensation strategy. This strategy calculates the average height deviation of the thirty flexible support units within the group in real time, expressed as... The average height deviation is then used as a feedforward compensation and added to the PID control loop of each flexible support unit, driving the height of all flexible support units in the group to converge synchronously towards the target value. Through the dual closed-loop synergistic effect of the above-mentioned "independent parameter tuning mean deviation compensation", the system ultimately strictly controls the height deviation between any two flexible support units in the group within a specified range. Within a certain accuracy range, it provides a solid technical guarantee for the high-precision matching of the curved surface shape of ship segments.

[0097] To implement the above embodiments, this application also discloses an electronic device. (Refer to...) Figure 6 As shown, electronic device 600 may include a processing device (e.g., a central processing unit, a graphics processor, etc.) 601, which can perform various appropriate actions and processes according to a program stored in read-only memory (ROM) 602 or a program loaded from storage device 608 into random access memory (RAM) 603. RAM 603 also stores various programs and data required for the operation of electronic device 600. Processing device 601, ROM 602, and RAM 603 are interconnected via bus 604. Input / output (I / O) interface 605 is also connected to bus 604.

[0098] Typically, the following devices can be connected to I / O interface 605: input devices 606 including, for example, touchscreens, touchpads, keyboards, mice, cameras, microphones, accelerometers, gyroscopes, etc.; output devices 607 including, for example, liquid crystal displays (LCDs), speakers, vibrators, etc.; storage devices 608 including, for example, magnetic tapes, hard disks, etc.; and communication devices 609. Communication device 609 allows electronic device 600 to communicate wirelessly or wiredly with other devices to exchange data. Although... Figure 6 An electronic device 600 with various devices is shown; however, it should be understood that it is not required to implement or possess all of the devices shown. More or fewer devices may be implemented or possessed alternatively. Figure 6 Each box shown can represent a device or multiple devices as needed.

[0099] In particular, according to some embodiments of this disclosure, the processes described above with reference to the flowcharts can be implemented as computer software programs. For example, some embodiments of this disclosure include a computer program product comprising a computer program carried on a computer storage medium, the computer program containing program code for performing the methods shown in the flowcharts. In such embodiments, the computer program can be downloaded and installed from a network via a communication device 609, or installed from a storage device 608, or installed from a ROM 602. When the computer program is executed by the processing device 601, it performs the functions defined in the methods of some embodiments of this disclosure.

[0100] It should be noted that, in some embodiments of this disclosure, the computer storage medium described above can be a computer-readable signal medium or a computer-readable storage medium, or any combination of the two. A computer-readable storage medium can be, for example, but not limited to, an electrical, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, or any combination thereof. More specific examples of a computer-readable storage medium may include, but are not limited to: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer disk, a hard disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or flash memory), optical fiber, portable compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical storage device, magnetic storage device, or any suitable combination thereof.

[0101] In some embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable storage medium can be any tangible medium that contains or stores a program that can be used by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. In some embodiments of this disclosure, a computer-readable signal medium can include a data signal propagated in baseband or as part of a carrier wave, carrying computer-readable program code. Such propagated data signals can take various forms, including but not limited to electromagnetic signals, optical signals, or any suitable combination thereof. A computer-readable signal medium can also be any computer storage medium other than a computer-readable storage medium, which can send, propagate, or transmit a program for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The program code contained on the computer storage medium can be transmitted using any suitable medium, including but not limited to: wires, optical fibers, RF (radio frequency), etc., or any suitable combination thereof.

[0102] In some implementations, clients and servers can communicate using any currently known or future-developed network protocol such as HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) and can interconnect with digital data communication (e.g., communication networks) of any form or medium. Examples of communication networks include local area networks (“LANs”), wide area networks (“WANs”), the Internet (e.g., the Internet of Things), and end-to-end networks (e.g., ad hoc end-to-end networks), as well as any currently known or future-developed networks.

[0103] The aforementioned computer storage medium may be included in the aforementioned electronic device, or it may exist independently without being assembled into the electronic device. The aforementioned computer storage medium carries one or more programs, which, when executed by the electronic device, enable the electronic device to implement a fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system.

[0104] Computer program code for performing operations of some embodiments of this disclosure can be written in one or more programming languages ​​or a combination thereof, including object-oriented programming languages ​​such as Java, Smalltalk, and C++, as well as conventional procedural programming languages ​​such as the "C" language or similar programming languages. The program code can be executed entirely on the user's computer, partially on the user's computer, as a standalone software package, partially on the user's computer and partially on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In cases involving remote computers, the remote computer can be connected to the user's computer via any type of network—including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN)—or can be connected to an external computer (e.g., via the Internet using an Internet service provider).

[0105] The flowcharts and block diagrams in the accompanying drawings illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, methods, and computer program products according to various embodiments of this disclosure. In this regard, each block in a flowchart or block diagram may represent a module, segment, or portion of code containing one or more executable instructions for implementing a specified logical function. It should also be noted that in some alternative implementations, the functions indicated in the blocks may occur in a different order than those indicated in the drawings.

[0106] For example, two consecutively represented blocks can actually be executed substantially in parallel, and sometimes they can be executed in reverse order, depending on the functions involved. It should also be noted that each block in the block diagram and / or flowchart, and combinations of blocks in the block diagram and / or flowchart, can be implemented using a dedicated hardware-based system that performs the specified function or operation, or using a combination of dedicated hardware and computer instructions. Units described in some embodiments of this disclosure can be implemented in software or hardware. The described units can also be located in a processor, and the names of these units do not necessarily constitute a limitation on the unit itself.

[0107] The functions described above in this document can be performed, at least in part, by one or more hardware logic components. For example, exemplary types of hardware logic components that can be used, without limitation, include: Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Application-Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Application Standard Products (ASSPs), System-on-Chip (SoCs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and so on.

[0108] All technologies not described in detail in this invention are existing technologies. The above descriptions are merely some preferred embodiments of this disclosure and explanations of the technical principles employed. Those skilled in the art should understand that the scope of the invention involved in the embodiments of this disclosure is not limited to technical solutions formed by specific combinations of the above-described technical features, but should also cover other technical solutions formed by arbitrary combinations of the above-described technical features or their equivalent features without departing from the above-described inventive concept. For example, technical solutions formed by substituting the above-described features with (but not limited to) technical features with similar functions disclosed in the embodiments of this disclosure.

Claims

1. A method for fault location and graded self-locking of a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: Step 1: For each flexible support unit with an independent number and physical characteristics in the marine flexible support cluster unit of the pneumatically driven marine flexible support system, establish a range including normal height fluctuations. Normal load fluctuation range Normal air pressure value and the normal operating current range of the solenoid directional valve Feature parameter library; Step 2: Collect the real-time operating parameters of each flexible support unit at a fixed frequency using the data acquisition unit. Step 3: After receiving the real-time operating parameters for the current cycle, the main control unit initiates the deviation threshold determination logic to determine whether there is any abnormality in the flexible support unit. Step 4: For the flexible support unit determined to be abnormal, the abnormal parameters and feature parameter library are cross-compared in real time through the fault type matching logic to accurately locate the fault source and fault type. Step 5: Preset the self-locking trigger conditions within the group and the emergency self-locking trigger conditions for the entire area, and automatically match the corresponding self-locking trigger conditions according to the fault location results; Step 6: Based on the matched self-locking trigger conditions, execute intra-group synchronous self-locking or global emergency self-locking respectively to achieve synchronous height locking and gas path cutoff of all flexible support units within the corresponding range. Step 7: If the system does not automatically recover after the self-locking is activated, a reset operation must be performed after the fault is confirmed and resolved manually to release the self-locking state and restore the system to normal operation.

2. The fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 3, after receiving the real-time operating parameters for the current period, the central control unit will convert the real-time parameter vector... With feature parameter library The normal range stored in the middle is compared one by one; If all real-time parameters fall within the normal range of the feature parameter library, that is... , , , If the current state of the flexible support unit is normal, the regular monitoring cycle continues; if any one or more indicators in the real-time parameters exceed the upper or lower limit defined in the feature parameter library, then... If so, it is immediately determined that the flexible support unit is abnormal.

3. The fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 4, the fault type matching logic involves cross-referencing the real-time abnormal parameters of the flexible support unit with a feature parameter database to accurately pinpoint the location of the fault source. The location rules are as follows: air pressure This indicates a gas circuit malfunction. Solenoid directional valve operating current This indicates a drive failure; Lifting height This indicates an encoder fault; Bearing load This indicates a transmission failure.

4. The fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system according to claim 1, characterized in that: In step 5, the intra-group self-locking trigger condition is defined as the control subunit. Any one of the flexible support units is determined to be in a fault state, that is... The global emergency self-locking trigger condition is defined as follows: any two or more control subunits simultaneously trigger self-locking within their respective groups when any of the following conditions are met: total gas source pressure. Reduced to a safe threshold The following is a manual emergency self-locking command issued by the operator. .

5. The fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 6, when the group-wide self-locking trigger condition is met, a signal is sent to the control subunit. Issuing a synchronization group self-locking command to execute synchronization self-locking within the group is represented as follows: ,in =1 indicates a control subunit. Self-locking =0 indicates a control subunit. Normally, the thirty flexible support units within the control subunit group synchronously self-lock and cut off the corresponding group-level gas path; when the full-domain emergency self-lock trigger condition is met, it sends signals to all control subunits. Issuing a global self-locking command to execute a global emergency self-locking is represented as This enables full-domain synchronous self-locking of the four control sub-unit clusters, locking the current support height of all flexible support units.

6. The fault location and graded self-locking method for a pneumatically driven marine flexible support system according to claim 1, characterized in that, In step 7, after the reset is completed, a forced trigger is performed once within the group. Achieve highly precise synchronization of flexible support units within the group: For each group of control subunits ; Real-time acquisition of the actual height of the flexible support unit within the group in the control subunit Calculate height deviation ; Height deviation PID closed-loop control formula Control output This causes the height of the flexible support unit within the group to converge towards the target value after compensation and adjustment.

7. Its features include The flexible support cluster unit includes multiple sets of flexible support clusters for performing full-domain support and attitude maintenance of ship sections; the main control unit includes multiple control subunits corresponding to the multiple sets of flexible support clusters. The system is used to receive real-time operating parameters from the data acquisition unit, process them using an algorithm, generate control commands, and send them to the execution drive unit and the main pneumatic circuit unit. The main pneumatic circuit unit provides pneumatic power to the system, enabling centralized air supply, group shut-off control, and independent drive of individual units. The data acquisition unit collects operating parameters of all flexible support units in each flexible support cluster in real time and uploads them to the main control unit. The communication unit enables bidirectional data interaction and command issuance between the main control unit and each unit. The execution drive unit receives control commands from the main control unit and drives the pneumatic motor and electromagnetic reversing valve. The main control unit is connected to the data acquisition unit, the execution drive unit, and the main pneumatic circuit unit through the communication unit. The main pneumatic circuit unit is connected to the execution drive unit through pneumatic pipelines. The execution drive unit is connected to each flexible support unit in multiple flexible support clusters through electrical drive cables to drive each flexible support unit to perform lifting actions.

8. The method according to claim 7 Its features are: The flexible support cluster unit consists of four independent flexible support clusters, each consisting of 30 pneumatically driven flexible support units, totaling 120 flexible support units forming a grid-like support layout. Each flexible support unit integrates a base, lifting unit, reducer, pneumatic motor, and encoder. The lifting unit consists of a trapezoidal lead screw and modular support columns. Each flexible support cluster has an independent number, and each flexible support unit has a unique feature parameter library.

9. The method according to claim 8 Its features are: The communication unit adopts the Profinet industrial fieldbus with a star topology. The main control unit acts as the master station, and the four control sub-units are connected to the network via switches. The 30 flexible support units in each control sub-unit are connected in parallel to the corresponding group-level gateway through the fieldbus interface, enabling the master station to conduct orderly polling and command broadcasting to all 120 flexible support unit slave nodes. The main pneumatic circuit unit adopts a hierarchical pipeline system, including one main trunk pipeline, four group-level branch pipelines, 120 flexible support unit manifolds, and corresponding three-position five-way solenoid directional valves. In the self-locking protection mechanism, after receiving the self-locking command, the main pneumatic circuit unit cuts off the air supply to the corresponding group-level branch pipeline or the main trunk pipeline. Combined with the mechanical self-locking characteristics of the trapezoidal screw, it achieves dual safety protection of pneumatic cut-off and mechanical locking.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: At least one processor, and a memory communicatively connected to said at least one processor; The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1 to 6. A computer storage medium storing a computer program thereon, characterized in that: When the computer program is executed by the processor, it performs the steps as described in any one of claims 1 to 6.

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