Automatic-release seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device

Abstract

The utility model discloses an underwater sediment monitoring technology, and aims to provide an automatically-released seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device which is characterized by comprising an overwater floating body part and a sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part, the overwater floating body part comprises a floating body base, a solar charging panel, a winch unit, an upper cabin unit and an antenna; the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part comprises a gravity counterweight base, a buffer plate, a lower cabin unit, a floating ball, a support frame, a cylinder, a plurality of sensors and a conical head; compared with the prior art, the device is divided into the water floating body part and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part, so that the technical field of modularized underwater sediment monitoring and function decoupling are realized; the method is suitable for use.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present application relates to an underwater sediment monitoring technology, more particularly, it relates to an automatic release seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device. BACKGROUND

[0002] The current sediment monitoring device is generally composed of a sensor and a mechanical structure, a conical head is inserted into the sediment to realize sampling and monitoring functions, and the signals obtained by monitoring are transmitted to the receiving station through sound waves in water, and the receiving station receives the signals to process the signals.

[0003] The prior art has a new sediment-microbial fuel cell device for monitoring copper pollution in water, which can only indicate the change of copper content in water through voltage change, and the monitoring function and information transmission are single. SUMMARY

[0004] In view of the deficiencies of the prior art, the purpose of the present application is to provide an automatic release seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device.

[0005] To achieve the above purpose, the present application provides the following technical scheme: an automatic release seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device, comprising a water floating body part and a sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part;

[0006] The water floating body part includes a floating base as a floating part of the device and used for bearing, a solar charging panel fixed on the floating base by a connecting rod and used for charging the upper cabin unit, a winch unit arranged on the floating base below the solar charging panel and used for releasing / recovering the submarine cable connecting the water floating body part and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part, an upper cabin unit arranged on the floating base below the solar charging panel and used for receiving signals from the lower cabin unit or the ground base station and transmitting to the antenna and can charge the lower cabin unit, and an antenna connected with the upper cabin unit for realizing two-way communication between the ground base station and the upper cabin unit;

[0007] The sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part includes a gravity counterweight base for adjusting the depth of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part, a buffer plate arranged on the gravity counterweight base for underwater buffering, a lower cabin unit arranged on the buffer plate for realizing two-way transmission of signals between the upper cabin unit and the sensor, a floating ball arranged on the gravity counterweight base along the central annular array for adjusting the center of gravity, a support frame arranged on the gravity counterweight base for connecting the submarine cable with the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part, a cylinder arranged at the bottom of the gravity counterweight base for mounting the sensor, a plurality of sensors for detecting various substances in the sediment, and a conical head arranged at the bottom end of the cylinder for facilitating the insertion of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part into the sediment so that the sensors on the cylinder can monitor;

[0008] The ratio of the total length of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part to the length of the cylinder is 1.5-1.8; the ratio of the diameter of the gravity counterweight base to the diameter of the cylinder is 6-7.

[0009] The winch unit is further integrated with a tension feedback part, which includes a tension sensing module for monitoring the tension of the submarine cable in real time when the winch unit is running, a timing module for recording the duration when the tension exceeds a threshold, a rotating speed encoding module for monitoring and adjusting the rotating speed, and a control module for controlling the modules of the tension feedback part; the detection direction of the tension sensing module is 30°-45° to the release / recovery direction of the submarine cable.

[0010] The upper cabin unit includes a cabin body with an axis parallel to the horizontal plane for accommodation, a hatch cover arranged on one side of the cabin body for forming a sealed space with the cabin body, a plurality of watertight connectors arranged on the hatch cover for sealing the cabin body and the hatch cover, a battery arranged in the cabin for power supply, a plurality of semilunar plates arranged on the outer circumferential side of the bottom of the cabin body for support and limiting, and an energy component arranged in the cabin body, which includes but is not limited to a connection circuit, signal processing, and bidirectional communication; the upper cabin unit is consistent in structure with the lower cabin unit.

[0011] The ratio of the release length of the winch unit to the mass of the gravity counterweight base is 1:50-1:80; the ratio of the buoyancy of the floating ball to the mass of the gravity counterweight base is 1:10-1:15; the ratio of the taper angle of the conical head to the shear strength of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part is tan alpha = 0.25-0.35.

[0012] The beneficial effects of the present application are:

[0013] 1. Compared with the prior art, the present application realizes modular design and functional decoupling by dividing the device into an overwater floating body part and a sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part; the overwater floating body part realizes long-term energy self-sufficiency through a solar charging panel, the combination of the winch unit and the upper cabin unit enables the submarine cable release / recovery and signal transmission to be performed synchronously, solving the limitations of traditional monitoring devices relying on manual operation; the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part realizes self-balancing and precise insertion depth and detection of the device under water through the collaborative design of the gravity counterweight base, the floating ball, the conical head, etc.; the floating ball ring array can dynamically adjust the center of gravity, the buffer plate reduces the impact of underwater impact on the sensor, and the integrated structure of the cylinder and the conical head ensures the stability of contact with the sediment; this layered design significantly improves the anti-interference ability of the device in complex sea conditions; through bidirectional communication between the antenna and the ground base station, real-time data transmission and remote control are realized, and the unattended period can be extended to several months or even several years.

[0014] 2. In the present application, the tension sensing module monitors the cable tension at an inclination angle of 30-45°, which is more accurate than the traditional vertical detection in capturing the tension fluctuations caused by the transverse force of ocean currents. The linkage design of the timing module and the rotational speed coding module can distinguish between instantaneous tension fluctuations and persistent abnormalities, avoiding false triggering of the shutdown. The control module significantly reduces the risk of cable breakage by dynamically adjusting the winch speed and reverse compensation. For example, when the tension exceeds the threshold, the formulaic compensation mechanism of reverse turns combined with the incremental compensation coefficient K can effectively solve the jamming problem caused by sediment resistance or foreign matter entanglement. This technology improves the reliability of the device in strong ocean currents or complex seabed environments by more than 40%, while reducing the frequency of manual intervention, especially suitable for deep-sea long-period monitoring scenarios.

[0015] 3. In the present application, the sealed design of the upper cabin unit realizes high waterproof performance through the cooperation of the watertight connector and the meniscus support structure, ensuring the long-term stability of the internal battery and energy components in a salt spray corrosion environment. The layout of the cabin axis parallel to the horizontal plane optimizes the distribution of the buoy's center of gravity, avoiding damage to the equipment inside the cabin due to wave tossing. The elastic support design of the meniscus structure can absorb impact energy in 6-level sea conditions, reducing the risk of mechanical fatigue. The energy component integrates signal processing and bidirectional communication functions, shortening the transmission path of data from the sensor to the base station, making the end-to-end delay less than 200ms, meeting the real-time monitoring requirements. This design improves the overall MTBF of the device to more than 10,000 hours.

[0016] 4. The present application has reasonable structure, convenient manufacturing, simple operation, avoids the defects in the prior art, and is suitable for popularization and implementation. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0017] Fig. 1 The structure diagram of the present application.

[0018] Fig. 2 The structure diagram of the water floating body part in the present application.

[0019] Fig. 3 The structure diagram of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part in the present application.

[0020] Fig. 4 The structure diagram of the upper cabin unit and the lower cabin unit in the present application.

[0021] Fig. 5 The structure diagram of the present application in releasing the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part.

[0022] Figs. 1-5Reference numerals: 1, water floating body part; 2, sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part; 3, floating body base; 4, connecting rod; 5, solar charging plate; 6, winch unit; 7, upper cabin unit; 8, antenna; 9, gravity counterweight base; 10, buffer plate; 11, lower cabin unit; 12, floating ball; 13, support frame; 14, cylinder; 15, sensor; 16, conical head; 17, cabin body; 18, cabin cover; 19, watertight connector; 20, battery; 21, meniscus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] REFERENCE Figs. 1-5 Further description is made to an embodiment of the automatic releasing seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device of the present application.

[0024] For ease of description, spatial relative terms such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right" and the like are used in the embodiments to describe one element or feature's relationship to another element or feature as illustrated in the figures. It is to be understood that the spatial terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation, in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, an element described as being on the "lower" side of other elements or features would then be oriented on the "upper" side of the other elements or features. Therefore, the exemplary term "lower" can encompass both an orientation of above and below. The device can be otherwise oriented (rotated 90 degrees or located in any other orientation) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

[0025] Moreover, relative terms such as "first" and "second" are used herein solely to distinguish one from another entity of the same type, not necessarily in an ordinal or chronological manner, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

[0026] Figs. 1 to 5 An automatic releasing seabed sediment in-situ monitoring device is shown, comprising a water floating body part 1 and a sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2;

[0027] The water floating body part 1 comprises a floating body base 3 as the buoyancy part of the device and for bearing, a solar charging plate 5 fixed to the floating body base 3 by a connecting rod 4 for charging the upper cabin unit 7, a winch unit 6 arranged on the floating body base 3 below the solar charging plate 5 and for releasing / recovering the submarine cable connecting the water floating body part 1 and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2, an upper cabin unit 7 arranged on the floating body base 3 below the solar charging plate 5 and for receiving signals from the lower cabin unit 11 or a ground base station and transmitting to the antenna 8 and can charge the lower cabin unit 11, and an antenna 8 connected with the upper cabin unit 7 for realizing the bidirectional communication between the ground base station and the upper cabin unit 7;

[0028] The sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 comprises a gravity counterweight base 9 for adjusting the depth of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2, a buffer plate 10 arranged on the gravity counterweight base 9 for underwater buffering, a lower cabin unit 11 arranged on the buffer plate 10 for realizing bidirectional transmission of signals between the upper cabin unit 7 and the sensors 15, a float ball 12 arranged on the gravity counterweight base 9 along a central annular array for adjusting the center of gravity, a support frame 13 arranged on the gravity counterweight base 9 for connecting the submarine cable with the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2, a cylinder 14 arranged at the bottom of the gravity counterweight base 9 for mounting the sensors 15, a plurality of sensors 15 for detecting various substances in the sediment, and a conical head 16 arranged at the bottom end of the cylinder 14 for facilitating insertion of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 into the sediment so that the sensors 15 on the cylinder 14 can perform monitoring;

[0029] The ratio of the total length of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 to the length of the cylinder 14 is 1.5-1.8, and the ratio of the diameter of the gravity counterweight base 9 to the diameter of the cylinder 14 is 6-7;

[0030] By dividing the device into two parts, the water floating body part 1 and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2, modular design and functional decoupling are achieved; the water floating body part 1 realizes long-term energy self-sufficiency through the solar charging panel 5, the combination of the winch unit 6 and the upper cabin unit 7 enables the synchronization of the release / recovery of the submarine cable and the signal transmission, solving the limitations of traditional monitoring devices relying on manual operation, and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 realizes self-balancing and precise insertion depth and detection under water through the coordinated design of the gravity counterweight base 9, the floating ball 12, the conical head 16, etc., the floating ball 12 ring array can dynamically adjust the center of gravity, the buffer plate 10 reduces the impact of underwater impact on the sensor 15, and the integration of the cylinder 14 and the conical head 16 ensures the stability of the contact with the sediment, this layered design significantly improves the anti-interference ability of the device in complex sea conditions, and through the two-way communication between the antenna 8 and the ground base station, real-time data transmission and remote control are realized, making the unattended period extend to several months or even years. In addition, when the length ratio is >1.8, the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is too long as a whole, causing redundancy of the non-functional section after the cylinder 14 is inserted into the sediment, increasing the risk of entanglement during cable recovery, and being easily tilted due to water flow disturbance; when the ratio is <1.5: the cylinder 14 length ratio is too high, the insertion depth is limited, the sensor 15 cannot cover the target monitoring layer, and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is easily tilted after touching the bottom due to the upward movement of the center of gravity; therefore, the length ratio is preferably 1.5-1.8, which ensures the effective insertion depth of the cylinder 14, reduces the recovery resistance by shortening the length of the non-functional section, and maintains vertical stability through the synergistic effect of the gravity counterweight base 9 and the floating ball 12. When the diameter ratio is >7: the area of the gravity counterweight base 9 is too large, causing a sharp increase in sinking resistance, which may cause the edge of the gravity counterweight base 9 to lift due to insufficient bottom bearing capacity, damaging the contact surface between the sensor 15 and the sediment; when the diameter ratio is <6: the pressure of the gravity counterweight base 9 is too high, which may cause the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 to settle non-targetly due to sediment liquefaction or creep, causing the sensor 15 to deviate from the preset monitoring position; therefore, the diameter ratio is preferably 6-7: by expanding the contact area of the gravity counterweight base 9 to disperse the pressure, both sinking and resistance to ocean current impact are avoided, and the damage to the sensor 15 caused by the instantaneous impact of touching the bottom is reduced through the buffer plate 10.

[0031] The winch unit 6 also integrates a tension feedback part, which includes a tension sensing module for real-time monitoring of the tension of the submarine cable during operation of the winch unit 6, a timing module for recording the duration of tension exceeding the threshold value, a rotation speed coding module for monitoring and adjusting the rotation speed, and a control module for controlling the modules of the tension feedback part; the detection direction of the tension sensing module is 30°-45° to the release / recovery direction of the submarine cable;

[0032] The tension sensing module monitors the cable tension at an inclination angle of 30-45°, which is more accurate than the traditional vertical detection in capturing the tension fluctuations caused by the transverse force of ocean currents. The linkage design of the timing module and the rotation speed coding module can distinguish between instantaneous tension fluctuations and persistent abnormalities, avoiding false triggering of the shutdown. The control module significantly reduces the risk of cable breakage by dynamically adjusting the rotation speed of the winch and the reverse compensation. For example, when the tension exceeds the threshold, the formulaic compensation mechanism of the reverse number of turns, combined with the incremental compensation coefficient K, can effectively solve the jamming problem caused by sediment resistance or foreign matter entanglement. This technology improves the reliability of the device in strong ocean currents or complex seabed environments by more than 40%, while reducing the frequency of manual intervention. It is especially suitable for deep-sea long-term monitoring scenarios.

[0033] The upper cabin unit 7 includes a cabin body 17 arranged for accommodation with its axis parallel to the horizontal plane, a cabin cover 18 arranged on one side of the cabin body 17 for the cabin body 17 to form a sealed space, a plurality of watertight connectors 19 arranged on the cabin cover 18 for sealing the cabin body 17 and the cabin cover 18, a battery 20 arranged in the cabin for power supply, a plurality of semilunar plates 21 arranged on the outer circumferential side of the bottom of the cabin body 17 for support and limiting, and an energy component arranged in the cabin body 17, which includes but is not limited to connection circuit, signal processing, and bidirectional communication. The upper cabin unit 7 is consistent in structure with the lower cabin unit 11.

[0034] The sealed design of the upper cabin unit 7 realizes high waterproof performance through the cooperation of the watertight connectors 19 and the semilunar plate 21 support structure, ensuring the long-term stability of the internal battery 20 and energy component in a salt spray corrosion environment. The layout of the cabin body 17 axis parallel to the horizontal plane optimizes the distribution of the floating body's center of gravity, avoiding damage to the equipment in the cabin due to wave heaving. The elastic support design of the semilunar plate 21 structure can absorb impact energy under 6-level sea conditions, reducing the risk of mechanical fatigue. The energy component integrates signal processing and bidirectional communication functions, shortening the transmission path of data from the sensor 15 to the base station, making the end-to-end delay less than 200ms, and meeting the real-time monitoring requirements. This design improves the overall MTBF (Mean Time Between Failures) of the device to more than 10,000 hours.

[0035] The ratio of the release length of the winch unit 6 to the mass of the gravity counterweight base 9 is 1:50-1:80; the ratio of the buoyancy of the floating ball 12 to the mass of the gravity counterweight base 9 is 1:10-1:15; the ratio of the taper angle of the tapered head 16 to the shear strength of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is tanα = 0.25-0.35;

[0036] By limiting the ratio of the release length of the winch unit 6 to the mass of the gravity weight base 9, it is ensured that the submarine cable remains in a moderately tensioned state during the release process, both avoiding the submarine cable from loosening and winding due to insufficient counterweight, and preventing the winch motor from being overloaded due to excessive counterweight. The ratio of the buoyancy of the floating ball 12 to the mass of the gravity weight base 9 is set to enable the device to achieve uniform motion through self-adjustment by buoyancy when sinking, and the measured results show that the fluctuation rate of the sinking speed of the device is less than ± 5% under this ratio. The proportional relationship between the cone angle of the conical head 16 and the shear strength of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is optimized through fluid mechanics simulation, and the insertion resistance in sandy and clayey sediments is reduced by 32% and 18%, respectively. For example, when α = 15° (tan α ≈ 0.27), the conical head 16 can reduce the penetration energy loss by 28% in sediments with a shear strength of 50 kPa. These parameter combinations enable the deployment success rate of the device in deep sea areas with a depth of 2000 meters to be increased from 65% of traditional equipment to 92%.

[0037] The control method is:

[0038] The device is hoisted to the designated sea area, then receives the encrypted release instruction sent by the ground base station, and automatically parses the geographic coordinates and authorization key in the instruction. According to the instruction, the winch unit 6 is started, the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is separated from the water floating body part 1, and the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 starts to sink into the sediment. The conical head 16 is also provided with a vibration unit, which includes a vibration sensor 15 for determining whether it has touched the bottom and a vibration module for assisting the insertion depth. When the vibration sensor 15 senses that it has touched the bottom, the winch unit 6 is controlled to stop running, and then the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is inserted and fixed by controlling the vibration module; then a plurality of sensors 15 on the cylindrical body 14 are started, including but not limited to collecting the type, concentration and ph value of the sediment; while the sensors 15 are collecting data, the sensors 15 transmit the collected data to the lower cabin unit 11, which backs up the data, and then transmits the collected data to the upper cabin unit 7, which backs up the data, and then transmits the data to the ground base station through the antenna 8 for signal processing and analysis. After all the collected data are transmitted, the plurality of sensors 15 on the cylindrical body 14 are controlled to stop working, and then the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part 2 is reset and stopped by controlling the winch unit 6.

[0039] The above only describes the preferred embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. Those skilled in the art can make usual changes and replacements within the technical solution range of the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An automatically released in-situ monitoring device for seabed sediments, characterized in that: It includes a floating body part (1) and an integrated part for in-situ sediment monitoring (2); The floating body part (1) includes a floating body base (3) which serves as the buoyancy part of the device and is used for bearing; a solar charging panel (5) fixed to the floating body base (3) by a connecting rod (4) for charging the upper cabin unit (7); a winch unit (6) located on the floating body base (3) below the solar charging panel (5) for releasing / retrieving the submarine cable connecting the floating body part (1) and the sediment in-situ monitoring integration part (2); an upper cabin unit (7) located on the floating body base (3) below the solar charging panel (5) for receiving signals from the lower cabin unit (11) or the ground base and transmitting them to the antenna (8) and for charging the lower cabin unit (11); and an antenna (8) connected to the upper cabin unit (7) for realizing bidirectional communication between the ground base and the upper cabin unit (7). The sediment in-situ monitoring integration section (2) includes a gravity counterweight base (9) for adjusting the depth of the sediment in-situ monitoring integration section (2), a buffer plate (10) set on the gravity counterweight base (9) for underwater buffering, a lower chamber unit (11) set on the buffer plate (10) for realizing bidirectional signal transmission between the upper chamber unit (7) and the sensor (15), a float (12) set on the gravity counterweight base (9) in a central ring array for adjusting the center of gravity, a support frame (13) set on the gravity counterweight base (9) for connecting the submarine cable to the sediment in-situ monitoring integration section (2), a cylinder (14) set at the bottom of the gravity counterweight base (9) for installing the sensor (15), several sensors (15) for detecting various substances in the sediment, and a conical head (16) set at the bottom of the cylinder (14) to facilitate the insertion of the sediment in-situ monitoring integration section (2) into the sediment so that the sensor (15) on the cylinder (14) can perform monitoring. The ratio of the total length of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part (2) to the length of the cylinder (14) is 1.5-1.8; the ratio of the diameter of the gravity counterweight base (9) to the diameter of the cylinder (14) is 6-7.

2. The automatically released in-situ monitoring device for seabed sediments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The winch unit (6) also integrates a tension feedback section, which includes a tension sensing module for real-time monitoring of the cable tension during winch unit (6) operation, a timing module for recording the duration of tension exceeding a threshold, a speed encoding module for monitoring and adjusting the speed, and a control module for controlling each module of the tension feedback section; the detection direction of the tension sensing module is 30°-45° to the cable release / retrieval direction.

3. The automatically released in-situ monitoring device for seabed sediments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The upper cabin unit (7) includes a cabin (17) with its axis parallel to the horizontal plane for housing, a cover (18) with one side of the cabin (17) to form a sealed space with the cabin (17), several watertight connectors (19) on the cover (18) for sealing the cabin (17) and the cover (18), a battery (20) installed in the cabin for power supply, several menisci (21) installed on the outer periphery of the bottom of the cabin (17) for support and limitation, and an energy component installed in the cabin (17). The energy component includes, but is not limited to, connection circuits, signal processing, and bidirectional communication. The upper cabin unit (7) has the same structure as the lower cabin unit (11).

4. The automatically released in-situ monitoring device for seabed sediments according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ratio of the release length of the winch unit (6) to the mass of the gravity counterweight base (9) is 1:50-1:80; the ratio of the buoyancy of the float (12) to the mass of the gravity counterweight base (9) is 1:10-1:15; the ratio of the cone angle of the cone head (16) to the shear strength of the sediment in-situ monitoring integrated part (2) is tanα=0.25-0.35.

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