Marine vessel

Abstract

To provide a marine vessel capable of improving radar detection performance when a wind power propulsion part is used.SOLUTION: A marine vessel 1 includes a bow side radar 40 which is provided on a side closer to a bow side than magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D in a hull 11, and detects an object. Radar waves of the bow side radar 40 can advance ahead of the hull 11, without interfering with the magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D. Therefore, the bow side radar 40 can accurately detect an object existing ahead of the hull 11. The bow side radar 40 on the bow side can cover a part of a shade DE (refer to Fig. 4) of radars 32 and 33 on the bow side. From above, when the magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C and 10D are used, radar detection performance can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a ship. [Background technology]

[0002] In conventional ships, the engine room and bridge are located aft of the cargo holds, and the radar is mounted on a radar mast above the bridge. It is described that in ships, the sails are configured to be lower than the radar mast (Reference 1). [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-175525 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the above-mentioned vessel, the radar places restrictions on the height of the sails, which reduces the sail's thrust compared to when there were no restrictions. On the other hand, if the radar is raised, the air draft must be changed, which can lead to problems such as the creation of routes that cannot be navigated. On the other hand, if these restrictions are not imposed, the radar's detection performance will decrease.

[0005] The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and has an object to provide a ship that can improve radar detection performance when using a wind propulsion unit. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The ship according to the present invention comprises a hull, a wind propulsion unit provided on the hull for propelling the hull by wind force, and a radar provided on the hull bow side of the wind propulsion unit for detecting targets.

[0007] The ship according to the present invention is equipped with a wind propulsion unit that is mounted on the hull and propels the hull by wind force. Therefore, if a radar is arranged on the stern side of the ship, interference may occur between the wind propulsion unit and the radar waves. In contrast, the ship is equipped with a radar that is mounted on the bow side of the hull relative to the wind propulsion unit and detects targets. The radar waves of such a radar can travel forward of the hull without interfering with the wind propulsion unit. Therefore, the radar can accurately detect targets present in front of the hull. As described above, the detection performance of the radar can be improved when a wind propulsion unit is used.

[0008] The radar includes a first radar and a second radar with a shorter wavelength than the first radar. In this case, the first radar can maintain its ability to detect objects even under adverse conditions, and the second radar can detect objects with high discrimination ability and excellent sensitivity, located on the bow side of the wind propulsion unit. This makes it possible to accurately detect objects in front of the hull regardless of the distance.

[0009] The wind propulsion unit is a Magnus rotor, and the distance between the Magnus rotor located at the bow side and the radar can be more than five times the diameter of the mast on which the radar is mounted. In this case, even if the wind is disturbed by the radar, a distance can be secured to smooth out the disturbance before it blows to the Magnus rotor. This allows the Magnus rotor to generate sufficient propulsive force. Effect of the Invention

[0010] According to the present invention, a ship capable of improving radar detection performance when using a wind propulsion unit can be provided. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating an example of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2]1(a) is a diagram explaining the principle of a rotor sail, and (b) is a plan view of a ship. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a side view of a vessel according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a plan view of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 5] FIG. 11 is a side view of a vessel according to a modified example. [Figure 6] FIG. 11 is a side view of a vessel according to a modified example. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, the terms "front" and "rear" refer to the direction of travel of the hull, the term "side" refers to the left-right (width) direction of the hull, and the terms "up" and "down" refer to the up-down direction of the hull.

[0013] A basic configuration of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to Fig. 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an example of a ship according to an embodiment of the present invention. The ship 1 is a ship that transports petroleum-based liquid cargo such as crude oil and liquid gas, and is, for example, an oil tanker. Note that the ship is not limited to an oil tanker, and may be various types of ships, such as bulk carriers that transport ore and coal, LNG carriers, and car carriers.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the ship 1 includes a hull 11, a propeller 12, and a plurality of Magnus rotors 10. The hull 11 includes a bow section 2, a stern section 3, an engine room 4, and a cargo room 6. An upper deck 19 is provided on the upper part of the hull 11. The bow section 2 is located on the front side of the hull 11. The stern section 3 is located on the rear side of the hull 11.

[0015] The bow 2 has a shape designed to reduce wave-making resistance, for example, when the ship is fully loaded. The propeller 12 mechanically generates thrust for the hull 11, and for example a screw propeller is used. The propeller 12 is installed below the waterline (the water surface of the sea W) at the stern 3 during propulsion. In addition, a rudder 15 for adjusting the direction of travel is installed below the waterline at the stern 3.

[0016] The engine room 4 is provided adjacent to the bow side of the stern section 3. The engine room 4 is a section for arranging the main engine 16 for providing driving force to the propeller 12. An accommodation area 22 and an exhaust chimney 23 are provided above the engine room 4 on the upper deck 19. The cargo room 6 is provided between the bow section 2 and the engine room 4. The cargo room 6 is a section for storing cargo. The cargo room 6 is partitioned into a plurality of cargo spaces 26 and a plurality of ballast tanks 27 by adopting a double hull structure of an outer plate 20 and an inner bottom plate 21. The cargo space 26 is loaded with cargo to be transported by the ship 1. The ballast tank 27 stores ballast water in an amount according to the size of the ship to adjust the draft, etc.

[0017] The Magnus rotor 10 is a mechanism that generates thrust by receiving wind force. As a result, the Magnus rotor 10 propels the hull 11 by the wind force. A single or multiple (four in this example) Magnus rotors 10 are provided on the upper deck 19 of the hull 11 in the front-rear and left-right directions. As shown in FIG. 2(a), the Magnus rotor 10 includes a cylindrical rotor sail 31 (main body) that extends in the vertical direction, and an electric motor that rotates the rotor sail 31. When wind WD blows into the rotor sail 31 from the side, the rotation direction of the rotor sail 31 and the direction of the wind WD are opposite to each other at the rear side, and the rotation direction of the rotor sail 31 and the direction of the wind WD are the same at the front side. This generates a pressure difference between the front and rear of the rotor sail 31, generating a thrust force PF toward the front side (Magnus effect). As shown in FIG. 2(b), when wind WD blows from the side of the hull 11, the thrust force PF of each Magnus rotor 10 causes the hull 11 to move forward.

[0018] Next, a characteristic structure of the ship 1 according to this embodiment will be described in detail with reference to Figs. 3 and 4. Fig. 3 is a side view of the ship 1 according to this embodiment. Fig. 4 is a plan view of the ship according to this embodiment. In the following description, the fore-aft direction of the ship 1 may be referred to as the "fore-aft direction D1" and the left-right direction may be referred to as the "left-right direction D2". A center line CL1 in the left-right direction D2 of the hull 11 is set. In this embodiment, four Magnus rotors 10 are arranged on the center line CL1 with a predetermined distance between each other. In a plan view, the center of the Magnus rotor 10 is arranged on the center line CL1. In addition, the rotors may be referred to as "Magnus rotor 10A", "Magnus rotor 10B", "Magnus rotor 10C" and "Magnus rotor 10D" in that order from the bow side to the stern side.

[0019] As shown in Fig. 3, the ship 1 includes a stern side radar 30 provided on the stern side and a bow side radar 40 provided on the bow side. The stern side radar 30 is a mechanism for detecting objects on the stern side. The stern side radar 30 is provided on the stern side of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The stern side radar 30 includes a mast 35, a first radar 32, and a second radar 33.

[0020] The mast 35 is provided on the upper part of the bridge 34 at the upper end of the accommodation area 22. The mast 35 is a columnar member extending upward from the upper end of the bridge 34.

[0021] The first radar 32 and the second radar 33 are provided on a mast 35. The first radar 32 is provided at a higher position than the second radar 33. The second radar 33 is provided at a midway position in the vertical direction of the mast 35. The first radar 32 is a radar that can maintain the ability to detect objects even under adverse conditions. An S-band lidar may be adopted as the first radar 32, but is not particularly limited thereto. The second radar 33 is a radar that has a shorter wavelength than the first radar 32 and can detect objects with high discrimination ability and excellent sensitivity. An X-band lidar may be adopted as the second radar 33, but is not particularly limited thereto. The radars 32 and 33 oscillate radar waves. If an object exists within the detection range, the radar waves hit the object and are reflected. The radars 32 and 33 detect the presence and distance of the object by receiving the reflected waves.

[0022] In this embodiment, the first radar 32 is provided at a position lower than the height of a reference line SL that determines the highest position of the allowable air draft. The air draft is the distance from the water surface to the highest point on the ship 1. The allowable air draft is set to a height that allows the ship 1 to pass through places with height restrictions (e.g., under bridges) on the route along which the ship 1 navigates. The upper ends of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are set at a position lower than the reference line SL, but the height of the upper ends is not particularly limited.

[0023] The bow-side radar 40 is a mechanism for detecting an object on the bow side. The bow-side radar 40 is provided on the bow side of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The bow-side radar 40 includes a mast 41 and a second radar 43.

[0024] The mast 41 is provided on the upper deck 19 in an area closer to the bow than the leading Magnus rotor 10A. The mast 41 is a columnar member extending upward from the upper deck 19.

[0025] The second radar 43 is provided on the mast 41. The second radar 43 is provided near the upper end of the mast 41. As the second radar 43, a device similar to the second radar 33 of the stern-side radar 30 is used. The height position of the second radar 43 of the bow-side radar 40 is set to a lower position than the height positions of the first radar 32 and the second radar 33 of the stern-side radar 30. The height position of the second radar 43 of the bow-side radar 40 is set to a lower position than the height positions of the upper ends of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. This allows the second radar 43 of the bow-side radar 40 to avoid interference with the radar waves of the radars 32 and 33 of the stern-side radar 30. With the above-mentioned configuration, the second radar 43 can monitor the presence or absence of an obstacle ahead. Furthermore, by providing the radars 32 and 33, it is possible to detect not only the area in front of the boat 1, but also the areas to the sides and diagonally forward, thereby enabling accurate obstacle detection.

[0026] The diameter of the mast 41 is "R1". The distance between the leading Magnus rotor 10A and the second radar 43 of the bow-side radar 40 is "L1". In this case, the distance L1 may be five times or more the diameter R1 of the mast 41. In this case, even if the wind is disturbed by the bow-side radar 40, a distance can be secured to straighten the disturbance before the wind blows toward the Magnus rotor 10A. This allows the Magnus rotor 10A to generate sufficient propulsive force.

[0027] The distance between the rearmost Magnus rotor 10D and the radars 32, 33 of the stern radar 30 is defined as "L2". Although not particularly limited, from a hydrodynamic viewpoint, the distance L2 may be 5 times or more the diameter R2 of the Magnus rotor 10D because of the influence of the accommodation space and bridge on the stern side. Alternatively, because the Magnus rotor 10D blocks the view from the bridge, the distance L2 may be set to ensure a blind spot of less than 5 degrees as required by the regulations. Although not particularly limited, the distance L2 may be the longer of the above two distances. The diameters of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D may all be the same, i.e., the diameters R2, or may be different from each other.

[0028] The action and effect of the marine vessel 1 according to this embodiment will be described.

[0029] The ship 1 according to the present embodiment includes Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D that are provided on the hull 11 and propel the hull 11 by wind force. In the ship according to the comparative example, the ship owner does not have a radar, and it is assumed that radars 32 and 33 are provided at the stern. Therefore, in the ship 1, when the radars 32 and 33 are arranged at the stern, the radar waves may interfere with the wind propulsion unit. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the radar wave LW2 of the second radar 33 interferes with the rearmost Magnus rotor 10D. Even if the radar wave LW1 of the first radar 32, which is inclined downward, passes over the rearmost Magnus rotor 10D, it interferes with the next Magnus rotor 10C. As shown in FIG. 4, among the radar waves of the second radar 33, the radar wave that is the boundary with the starboard end of the rearmost Magnus rotor 10D is designated as "RW3", and the radar wave that is the boundary with the port end is designated as "RW4". At this time, in the area in front of the hull 11, the area between the radar waves RW3 and RW4 becomes a shadow DE through which the radar waves of the second radar 33 do not pass.

[0030] An example of a comparative vessel is one in which the height of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D is restricted and lowered to prevent interference with the radar waves of the stern-side radars 32, 33. In such a comparative vessel, the amount of wind received by the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D is reduced, which may result in insufficient propulsive force. Another example of a comparative vessel is one in which the allowable air draft is increased, so that the reference line (see FIG. 3) is set at a higher position, and the radars 32, 33 are positioned at a higher position accordingly. In such a comparative vessel, the increased air draft may result in some routes being unnavigable.

[0031] In contrast, the ship 1 according to this embodiment is provided with a bow-side radar 40 that is installed on the bow side of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D in the hull 11 and detects targets. The radar waves of the bow-side radar 40 can travel forward of the hull 11 without interfering with the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. Therefore, the bow-side radar 40 can accurately detect targets present in front of the hull 11. In this embodiment, the bow-side radar 40 on the bow side can cover the shadows DE (see FIG. 4) of the stern-side radars 32 and 33. As a result, the detection performance of the radar can be improved when the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are used. In this way, it is no longer necessary to adjust the height of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D in order to improve detection performance, and it is no longer necessary to increase the air draft in order to place the radar at a high position. Furthermore, by providing the radars 32, 33 on the stern side, it becomes possible to detect obstacles not only in front of the vessel 1, but also to the sides and diagonally in front of the vessel 1, thereby enabling more accurate obstacle detection.

[0032] The wind propulsion units are the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D, and the distance L1 between the Magnus rotor 10A, which is located closest to the bow, and the bow-side radar 40 may be five times or more the diameter R1 of the mast 41. In this case, even if the wind is disturbed by the bow-side radar 40, a distance can be secured to straighten the wind before it blows toward the Magnus rotor 10A. This allows the Magnus rotor 10A to generate sufficient propulsive force.

[0033] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments.

[0034] For example, the ship 1 shown in Fig. 5 may be employed. The ship 1 shown in Fig. 5 is equipped with a first radar 42 and a second radar 43 having a shorter wavelength than the first radar 42 as the bow-side radar 40. The first radar 42 is an instrument similar to the first radar 32 of the stern-side radar 30. The first radar 42 is provided at a higher position than the second radar 43. The first radar 42 is provided at a lower position than the first radar 32 of the stern-side radar 30 and the upper ends of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, 10D.

[0035] According to the ship 1 shown in Fig. 5, the first radar 42 can maintain the ability to detect objects even under adverse conditions on the bow side of the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D, and the second radar 43 can detect objects with high discrimination ability and excellent sensitivity. This makes it possible to accurately detect objects present in front of the hull 11 regardless of the distance or weather conditions. In addition, the first radar 42 of the bow-side radar 40 can cover the part of the first radar 32 of the stern-side radar 30 that is shaded by the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. Note that the bow-side radar 40 may have only the first radar 42.

[0036] Also, the ship 1 shown in FIG. 6 may be adopted. The ship 1 shown in FIG. 6 is different from the ship 1 shown in FIG. 5 in that the stern-side radar 30 is omitted. That is, the ship 1 shown in FIG. 6 is equipped with only the first radar 42 and the second radar 43 of the bow-side radar 40. Even in this case, the bow-side radar 40 can detect an object in front of the hull 11 regardless of the distance or the influence of weather without causing interference of radar waves with the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D. The ship 1 shown in FIG. 6 can reduce the number of radars compared to the ship 1 shown in FIG. 3, so that a ship can be provided at a lower cost.

[0037] The structure of the hull 11 is not limited to that shown in Fig. 1 and may be modified as appropriate depending on the application, etc. For example, the shape and arrangement of the accommodation area are not limited to those described above.

[0038] In the above-described embodiment, the Magnus rotors 10A, 10B, 10C, and 10D are disposed in the central position in the left-right direction D2. However, a part or all of the Magnus rotors may be disposed in a position shifted from the central position, and the present invention can be applied as long as they are disposed in a position that is in the shadow of the stern-side radar 30. Furthermore, the number of Magnus rotors is not particularly limited. Note that there may be a Magnus rotor provided further stern than the stern-side radar.

[0039] In the above embodiment, the Magnus rotor is used as the wind propulsion unit. However, any type of wind propulsion unit that does not obstruct visibility may be used, including hard sails and kites. [Explanation of symbols]

[0040] 1...ship, 10...Magnus rotor (wind propulsion unit), 11...hull, 40...bow radar (radar), 42...first radar, 43...second radar.

Claims

1. The hull and a wind propulsion unit provided on the hull and configured to propel the hull by wind force; A ship comprising: a radar provided on the hull toward the bow side of the wind propulsion unit and configured to detect an object.

2. The vessel according to claim 1 , wherein the radar comprises a first radar and a second radar having a shorter wavelength than the first radar.

3. The wind propulsion unit is a Magnus rotor, 2. The ship according to claim 1, wherein the distance between the Magnus rotor provided closest to the bow and the radar is five times or more the diameter of the mast on which the radar is mounted.

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