Underwater object mobile system and underwater object mobile method

Abstract

To provide an underwater object mobile system and an underwater object mobile method capable of moving an object sinking on a floor even if the object is heavy, without using a large device and making a deposit collection robot in an underwater travel type efficiently travel.SOLUTION: The underwater object mobile system (mobile system 100) according to the present invention for moving an object 30 sinking on a water immersed floor, is provided with: an underwater drone 110 having an operable / closable arm 116 and capable of moving in water; a balloon 120 clamped with the arm 116 of the underwater drone 110; a hook 122 attached on the balloon 120 to connect the balloon 120 and the object 30; a pump 130 for supplying air to the balloon 120; and an air supply tube 132 for supplying air from the pump 130 to the balloon 120.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an underwater object moving system for moving an object submerged in a flooded floor, and an underwater object moving method using the same. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in order to prevent water pollution and to remove harmful substances that have settled in the water, sediments that have settled in the water have been collected. As a means for collecting sediments, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses a sludge collection device and method. The sludge collection device of Patent Document 1 includes a dredging device that is movable underwater and capable of sucking and collecting sludge from the bottom of the water, a treatment device that is movable underwater and stores the collected material in a collected material receiving tank after removing water from the sludge collected by the dredging device, and an equipment vehicle that supplies electricity, compressed air, and the like to the treatment device.

[0003] Incidentally, for example, in a nuclear power plant building, sandbags containing an adsorbent (e.g., zeolite) that adsorbs radioactive materials are sometimes placed in water to reduce the amount of radiation in the water. When recovering the contents of these sandbags, if the contents remain in the sandbags, the sludge recovery device of Patent Document 1 cannot recover the sediment.

[0004] The inventors then developed an underwater sediment recovery robot that "includes a robot body capable of moving underwater, a container attached to the robot body, a built-in pump mounted on the robot body and which sucks up sediment through the container, and a tipped saw that is pivoted vertically on the front of the lower part of the robot body and can rotate freely" (Patent Document 2).

[0005] According to the underwater sediment recovery robot of Patent Document 2, the robot body rotates left and right while pressing a tipped saw against the sandbags to break them, and the contents that spill out of the sandbags can be sucked up and recovered by the built-in pump of the robot body. Therefore, even if the contents are contained in the sandbags, the contents can be efficiently recovered, and sediment recovery work can be performed quickly. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2014-125754 A [Patent Document 2] JP 2022-147083 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] In facilities where sediment is to be collected, equipment such as scaffolding boards and mobile platforms (hereinafter referred to as objects) may be found abandoned on flooded floors. In such cases, the objects may become obstacles that impede the movement of an underwater mobile robot such as that described in Patent Document 2, making it impossible to efficiently collect sediment.

[0008] Therefore, the inventors have considered methods for moving obstacles, such as using a mobile robot that runs on a floor using crawlers or wheels to push the obstacles away, or equipping such a mobile robot or a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV, also called an underwater drone) with an arm to lift up and transport the obstacle.

[0009] However, depending on the type of obstacle, the weight can range from several kilograms to more than 10 kilograms, which poses a challenge for robots and remotely operated underwater vehicles in that the equipment needed to push or lift such heavy objects must be large.

[0010] In view of these problems, the present invention aims to provide an underwater object moving system and an underwater object moving method that can move heavy objects submerged on the floor without using large equipment and that can efficiently move an underwater sediment recovery robot. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] In order to solve the above problems, a typical configuration of the underwater object moving system of the present invention is an underwater object moving system for moving an object submerged in the floor of a flooded floor, characterized in that it comprises an underwater drone having an openable and closable arm and capable of moving underwater, a balloon held by the arm of the underwater drone, a hook attached to the balloon and connecting the balloon to the object, a pump for supplying air to the balloon, and an air supply tube for sending air from the pump to the balloon.

[0012] In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of the underwater object moving method of the present invention is an underwater object moving method that uses the underwater object moving system described above to move an object submerged in the floor of a flooded floor, and is characterized by attaching a hook to the object by an arm, supplying air to a balloon to inflate the balloon and cause the object to surface, moving the object to its destination by an underwater drone, and letting the air out of the balloon to sink the object back into the floor.

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, another configuration of the underwater object moving system of the present invention is an underwater object moving system for moving an object submerged in the floor of a flooded floor, characterized in that it comprises an underwater drone having an openable and closable arm and capable of moving underwater, a balloon attached to the underwater drone, a pump for supplying air to the balloon, and an air supply tube for sending air from the pump to the balloon.

[0014] In order to solve the above problem, another configuration of the underwater object moving method of the present invention is an underwater object moving method for moving an object submerged in the floor of a flooded floor using the underwater object moving system described above, which is characterized by connecting an arm of an underwater drone to the object, supplying air to a balloon to inflate the balloon and cause the object to surface, moving the object to its destination by the underwater drone, and disconnecting the arm of the underwater drone from the object to sink the object into the floor. Effect of the Invention

[0015] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an underwater object moving system and an underwater object moving method that can move even heavy objects submerged on the floor without using large equipment and that can efficiently move an underwater sediment recovery robot. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a nuclear power plant building. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating recovery of a precipitate by the robot of FIG. 1. [Diagram 3] This is a schematic diagram of the B2F of the nuclear power plant building in Figure 1, observed from above. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating an underwater object moving system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 5] FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of an underwater drone. [Figure 6] 1A to 1C are diagrams illustrating a method for moving an underwater object using the moving system of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an underwater object moving system according to a second embodiment. [Figure 8] 11A to 11C are diagrams illustrating a method for moving an underwater object using the moving system of the second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0017] A preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific values ​​shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In this specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same functions and configurations are given the same reference numerals to avoid repeated explanations, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

[0018] (Nuclear Power Plant Building 10) 1 is a schematic diagram of a nuclear power plant building 10. In this embodiment, the nuclear power plant building 10 is exemplified as a facility for recovering sediment, but the present invention is not limited to this. The underwater object moving system and the underwater object moving method according to the present embodiment described above can be suitably used in other facilities as long as the facility has an object 30 (see FIG. 2) submerged in water that becomes an obstacle.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 1, a nuclear power plant building 10 is a building with multiple floors above ground and multiple floors underground (FIG. 1 illustrates a building with two floors above ground and two floors underground). The 1st floor is the entrance to the ground, and stagnant water is stored on the most underground floor, B2F. In order to adsorb radioactive materials in the stagnant water, sandbags 12 filled with adsorbent material (e.g., zeolite) are installed on B2F. This embodiment illustrates a case in which a robot 60 is used to collect the adsorbent that has settled in the water as sediment.

[0020] A robot 60 is placed on the B2F of the nuclear power plant building 10. The robot 60 is carried into the B2F by an overhead crane 14 installed on the ceiling of the 1F. When the robot 60 arrives at the B2F, it detaches from the hook 16 and moves underwater on its own. A float cable 18 is connected to the robot 60, and power is supplied from a power supply panel 20. At the same time, image data from a camera and signals from various sensors are transmitted to a remote control device 22.

[0021] The overhead crane 14 shown in Fig. 1 carries the robot 60 into and out of the water. In particular, in this embodiment, the robot 60 is carried from the 1st floor to the B2nd floor while suspended from the overhead crane 14. The robot 60 collects sediment while traveling underwater. After the recovery operation, the float cable 18 of the robot 60 is wound by the winding device 24, and the robot 60 is washed by the shower 26, and then the robot 60 is pulled up by the hook of the overhead crane 14 and carried out.

[0022] Fig. 2 is a diagram for explaining the recovery of sediment by the robot 60 of Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2, a recovery hole 52 and a transfer hole 54 are formed in the floor 50 of the basement level 1F of the nuclear power plant building 10, and a transfer hose 28 supported by a hose reel 30 is inserted through them. One end of the transfer hose 28 is directly connected to the robot 60, and the other end is disposed in a collection location P.

[0023] The robot 60 travels over the entire flooded floor to collect the sediment, and at the same time, transfers the sediment to a collection point P through a transfer hose 28. At this time, if any object 30 that could become an obstacle, such as a scaffolding board or a mobile platform, is left behind on the floor of the basement level 2F where the robot 60 travels, the object 30 will impede the travel of the robot 60, making it impossible to efficiently collect the sediment.

[0024] Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram of the B2F of the nuclear power plant building 10 of Fig. 1 as viewed from above. Note that the input port 56 is actually formed in the ceiling of the flooded floor B2F (floor 50 of the upper B1F), but is shown in Fig. 3 for ease of understanding.

[0025] 3, obstacles are submerged in the floor of the B2F of the nuclear power plant building 10. Examples of obstacles include scaffolding 30a and movable stairs 30b. If the scaffolding 30a and movable stairs 30b (objects 30) impede the robot 60 from collecting sediment, they must be moved to a location where they do not impede the movement of the robot 60, such as a moving location R.

[0026] If the weight of the scaffolding material 30a and the moving stairs 30b is light, conventionally used relatively small mobile robots, remote-controlled underwater vehicles, and other equipment (not shown) can be loaded through the loading port 56 to move the scaffolding material 30a and the moving stairs 30b to the moving location R. However, if the weight of these is heavy, the equipment required for the movement naturally becomes larger. Then, the equipment may not be able to be loaded through the loading port 56 or may not be able to pass through the passage 58.

[0027] (First embodiment of underwater sediment recovery system) 4 is a schematic diagram for explaining an underwater object moving system (hereinafter, referred to as a moving system 100) according to a first embodiment. The moving system 100 of this embodiment shown in FIG. 4 moves an object that has sunk to the floor of a flooded floor (B2F) to a moving location. The moving system 100 of this embodiment includes an underwater drone 110, a balloon 120, a pump 130, and an air supply tube 132.

[0028] Fig. 5 is an overall perspective view of the underwater drone 110. The underwater drone 110 shown in Fig. 5 is a moving body capable of moving underwater, and a screw 114 that applies a propulsive force is provided on a main body 112. The underwater drone 110 also has an openable and closable arm 116. Note that, in this embodiment, a configuration in which two screws 114 are provided on the top surface of the main body and four screws 114 are provided on the side surface of the main body 112 are illustrated, but this is not limiting, and the number of screws 114 can be changed as appropriate.

[0029] 4 is an inflatable and deflated float that is held by the arm 116 of the underwater drone 110. A hook 122 for connecting other members is attached to the balloon 120. The balloon 120 is inflated by air supplied from a pump 130 through an air supply tube 132, and provides buoyancy to the connected members.

[0030] Fig. 6 is a diagram for explaining an underwater object moving method (hereinafter, referred to as a moving method) using the moving system 100 of the first embodiment. Note that Fig. 6 illustrates an example of a configuration in which the object 30 is moved using two balloons 120, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of balloons 120 can be changed as appropriate.

[0031] In the mobile system 100 of the first embodiment, first, the underwater drone 110 moves to the object 30 with the hook 122 of the balloon 120 held by the arm 116. At this time, the balloon 120 is in a deflated state. After the underwater drone 110 moves to the object 30, the arm 116 is operated to attach the hook 122 of the balloon 120 held by the arm 116 to the object 30 as shown in FIG. 6(a).

[0032] After the hooks 122 of the two balloons 120 are attached to the object 30, air is supplied from a pump 130 (see FIG. 4) to the balloons 120. This causes the balloons 120 to expand as shown in FIG. 6(b), imparting buoyancy to the object 30 connected to the balloons 120 by the hooks 122, causing the object 30 to rise from the water bottom 40b.

[0033] When the object 30 rises to the surface, the underwater drone 110 pushes the object 30 to the destination, which is the destination location R, as shown in Fig. 6(c). Then, air is released from the balloon 120 through the air supply tube 132, so that the object 30 is submerged in the destination location R, as shown in Fig. 6(d).

[0034] As described above, according to the moving system 100 of the first embodiment and the moving method using the same, by utilizing the buoyancy of the balloon 120 when moving the object 30 to the moving location R by the underwater drone 110, even a small underwater drone 110 can move a heavy object 30. Therefore, even if the insertion opening 56 or the passage 58 is narrow, the underwater drone 110 can be easily inserted or passed through, and a heavy object can be suitably moved even in a place where a large device cannot be applied.

[0035] (Second embodiment of underwater sediment recovery system) 7 is a schematic diagram for explaining an underwater object moving system according to a second embodiment (hereinafter, referred to as moving system 200). In the second embodiment, components and operations common to the moving system 100 of the first embodiment and the moving method using the same are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof will be omitted.

[0036] In the mobile system 100 of the first embodiment, the balloon 120 has a hook 122. In contrast, in the mobile system 200 of the second embodiment shown in Fig. 7, the balloon 120 does not have the hook 122 and is attached directly to the underwater drone 110 (without being held by the arm 116).

[0037] Fig. 8 is a diagram for explaining an underwater object moving method (hereinafter referred to as a moving method) using the moving system 200 of the second embodiment. Note that Fig. 8 illustrates an example of a configuration in which an object 30 is moved using two underwater drones 110 each holding a balloon 120, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the number of underwater drones 110 (balloons 120) can be changed as appropriate.

[0038] In the mobile system 200 of the second embodiment, first, the underwater drone 110 moves to the object 30 while holding the deflated balloon 120, as shown in Fig. 8(a) . Then, the arm 116 of the underwater drone 110 is operated to connect to the object 30.

[0039] Next, as shown in Fig. 8(b), air is supplied to inflate the balloon 120, causing the object to rise from the water bottom 40b. Then, as shown in Fig. 8(c), the underwater drone 110 is driven to push the object to the destination, which is the destination location R. After that, as shown in Fig. 8(d), the arm 116 of the underwater drone 110 is operated to release the connection with the object 30, so that the object 30 is sunk to the floor of the destination location R.

[0040] The above-described second embodiment of the moving system 200 also makes it possible to employ a small moving system 100 even when the weight of the object 30 is heavy by utilizing the buoyancy of the balloon 120 when moving the object 30 to the moving location R. Therefore, it is possible to obtain the same effect as the moving system 100 of the first embodiment.

[0041] Although the preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment. It is clear that a person skilled in the art can think of various modifications or alterations within the scope of the claims, and it is understood that these also naturally belong to the technical scope of the present invention. [Industrial Applicability]

[0042] The present invention can be used as an underwater object moving system for moving an object submerged in a flooded floor, and as an underwater object moving method using the same. [Explanation of symbols]

[0043] 10...nuclear power plant building, 12...sandbag, 14...ceiling crane, 16...hook, 18...float cable, 20...power panel, 22...remote control device, 24...winding device, 26...shower, 28...transfer hose, 30...object, 30a...scaffolding, 30b...moving stairs, 40a...water surface, 40b...water bottom, 50...floor, 52...recovery hole, 54...transfer hole, 56...inlet, 58...passage, 60...robot, 100...mobile system, 110...underwater drone, 112...main body, 114...screw, 116...arm, 120...balloon, 122...hook, 130...pump, 132...air supply tube, 200...mobile system, P...accumulation location, R...transfer location

Claims

1. An underwater object moving system for moving an object submerged in a flooded floor, comprising: An underwater drone that has an openable arm and can move underwater; A balloon held by the arm of the underwater drone; a hook attached to the balloon and connecting the balloon to the object; A pump for supplying air to the balloon; an air supply tube for supplying air from the pump to the balloon; An underwater object moving system comprising:

2. 13. A method for moving an object submerged in a flooded floor using the underwater object moving system according to claim 1, comprising the steps of: Attaching the hook to the object by the arm; supplying air to the balloon to inflate the balloon and lift the object; Moving the object to a destination by the underwater drone; A method for moving an object in water, comprising: deflating the balloon to sink the object to the floor of the floor.

3. An underwater object moving system for moving an object submerged in a flooded floor, comprising: An underwater drone that has an openable arm and can move underwater; A balloon attached to the underwater drone; A pump for supplying air to the balloon; an air supply tube for supplying air from the pump to the balloon; An underwater object moving system comprising:

4. 4. A method for moving an object submerged in a flooded floor using the underwater object moving system according to claim 3, comprising the steps of: Connecting the arm of the underwater drone to the object; supplying air to the balloon to inflate the balloon and lift the object; Moving the object to a destination by the underwater drone; A method for moving an object in water, comprising releasing the connection between the object and the arm and sinking the object into the floor.

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