Underwater suspended load control system

Abstract

To detect the state of a suspended load with higher accuracy.SOLUTION: Disclosed is an underwater suspended load control system including an image acquisition unit that acquires an image of a suspended load suspended from a hook extending from a suspension device on a ship side or a land side and submerged in water from a camera in a waterproof housing provided between the hook and the suspended load, and a suspended load control unit that executes control related to the suspended load on the basis of the image.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an underwater load control system. [Background technology]

[0002] There is known a technique for changing the orientation of a suspended load via a load direction control device equipped with a gyro mechanism that can change the orientation of the suspended load underwater. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2019-073387 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] However, with the above-described conventional technology, although the direction of the suspended load can be grasped from the control room side using a compass, it is difficult to detect the state of the suspended load with high accuracy.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to detect the state of a suspended load with higher accuracy. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In one aspect, the present invention includes an image acquisition unit that acquires images of a suspended load suspended from a hook extending from a lifting device on the ship side or on land side and submerged in water from a camera in a waterproof housing provided between the hook and the suspended load; An underwater load control system is provided, which includes a load control unit that executes control regarding the load based on the image. [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to detect the state of a suspended load with higher accuracy. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is an overall view schematically illustrating an application example of the underwater load control system of this embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part Q2 in FIG. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram of a communication form within the underwater lifting control system. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration of a load direction control device. [Figure 5] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating functions of a ship-side control device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Each embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the dimensional ratios in the drawings are merely examples and are not limiting. Furthermore, shapes and the like in the drawings may be partially exaggerated for the sake of explanation. Furthermore, in the drawings, for ease of viewing, reference symbols may be assigned only to some of the parts that exist with the same attribute.

[0010] FIG. 1 is an overall view that schematically shows an application example of the underwater load control system 1 of this embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of part Q2 in FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram of the communication form within the underwater load control system 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram that schematically shows the internal configuration of the load direction control device 70. In FIG. 1 etc., the symbol WL represents the water surface.

[0011] The underwater load control system 1 controls a load 20 submerged in water. The load 20 is suspended by a wire W from a hook 10 extending from a lifting device 90 on a ship (e.g., a crane ship) 4 and submerged in water (e.g., underwater). The type of load 20 is arbitrary, but typically, its outer shape has a direction when viewed from above. In other words, the outer shape of the load 20 is different from shapes that have no direction when viewed from above, such as a circle. Note that although two wires W are illustrated, the number of wires is arbitrary. Furthermore, the wire W does not need to be continuous from the hook 10 to the load 20, and may be realized by a combination of multiple wires.

[0012] The lifting device 90 is optional, but is typically a crane installed on the ship 4. In a modified example, a mobile crane brought on board the ship 4 may be used instead of a crane installed on the ship 4. The underwater load control system 1 may also be used to control underwater a load 20 suspended from a crane installed on land.

[0013] In the following description, unless otherwise specified, the orientation of the load 20 is the orientation when viewed from above, and represents an orientation that can change due to rotation around the vertical axis. This also applies to the orientation of the waterproof housing 78 of the load direction control device 70, which will be described later.

[0014] The underwater load control system 1 is used to place (install) a load 20 on the seabed or the like. However, in a modified example, the underwater load control system 1 may be used to raise the load 20 from the seabed or the like.

[0015] As shown in Figure 2, the underwater load control system 1 is preferably a system that can control the orientation of the suspended load 20 using a load direction control device 70. The load direction control device 70 has a built-in electric motor 71, a gyro mechanism 72 (Figure 4), a battery (not shown), etc., and by controlling the electric motor 71, it is possible to change the orientation of its waterproof casing 78 and thereby change the orientation of the suspended load 20. The gyro mechanism 72 may be configured with a gimbal or a flywheel, and the details are optional.

[0016] The load direction control device 70 includes a waterproof housing 78 in the form of a pressure-resistant container, and includes an electric motor 71 and a gyro mechanism 72 inside the waterproof housing 78. The electric motor 71 is connected to the load-side processing device 30 (described later) via a wired cable 79 extending from the waterproof housing 78. The wired cable 79 includes signal lines for transmitting various signals and data (such as image data from the camera 40 (described later)). The wired cable 79 may further include a power line for supplying a power supply voltage (current).

[0017] In this embodiment, the underwater load control system 1 includes a load-side processing device 30. As shown in FIG. 2, the load-side processing device 30 is provided below the hook 10. Specifically, the load-side processing device 30 is provided on a hoisting balance 50 that is suspended from the hook 10. In this embodiment, the load 20 is suspended from the hook 10 via the hoisting balance 50. However, in a modified example, the load-side processing device 30 may be attached to the hook 10 itself.

[0018] The lifting balance 50 and the load-side processing device 30 rise and fall together with the hook 10 according to the position of the jib 92 of the lifting device 90.

[0019] As shown in FIG. 3, the load-side processing device 30 includes a computer 31, a gyro sensor 32, a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) antenna 33, a wireless communication device 34, a wired communication device 35, and a power source 36.

[0020] The computer 31 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and performs processing to realize the various functions described below. The computer 31 is optional, but may be, for example, a single-board computer equipped with a CPU based on a RISC (Reduced Instruction Set Computer) architecture.

[0021] The gyro sensor 32 uses the Coriolis force to generate an electric signal corresponding to the speed of change (angular velocity) in the orientation of the hanging balance 50. The gyro sensor 32 may be formed of, for example, a MEMS (Micro Electro Mechanical System).

[0022] The GNSS antenna 33 receives satellite signals from satellites based on the GNSS. Two or more GNSS antennas 33 may be installed, and in this case, positioning may be achieved using, for example, interferometric positioning based on the satellite signals received by the two GNSS antennas 33.

[0023] The wireless communication device 34 communicates with the outside world using a wireless communication network. The wireless communication network may be any network, but in this embodiment, as an example, it is a wireless communication network based on Wi-Fi (registered trademark).

[0024] The wired communication device 35 forms an interface for wired communication. In this embodiment, the wired communication device 35 is connected to the load direction control device 70 via a wired cable 79.

[0025] The power supply 36 is a power source for operating the load side processing device 30. The power supply 36 may be any battery.

[0026] In this embodiment, the computer 31 transmits sensor information and reception results obtained from the gyro sensor 32 and the GNSS antenna 33 to a ship-side control device 60 on the ship 4 via a wireless communication device 34. The ship-side control device 60 may be a mobile terminal such as a tablet or smartphone carried by a user on the ship 4, as shown in Fig. 3, for example, or may be a fixed terminal. Further details of the ship-side control device 60 will be described later with reference to Fig. 5.

[0027] In this embodiment, the lifting device 90 is controlled so that the load-side processing device 30 is positioned below the hook 10 but does not enter the water. For this reason, all or some of the components of the load-side processing device 30 may preferably be housed in a non-waterproof housing 39 (see FIG. 3 ). In this case, costs can be reduced compared to when a waterproof housing is used. For example, the components of the load-side processing device 30 other than the GNSS antenna 33, namely the computer 31, gyro sensor 32, wireless communication device 34, and power supply 36, may be housed in the housing 39. In this case, the GNSS antennas 33 may be arranged in pairs near both ends of the lifting beam 50 in the longitudinal direction.

[0028] Next, the underwater load control system 1 of this embodiment will be further described with reference to FIG. 4 and also with reference to FIG.

[0029] In this embodiment, the underwater load control system 1 acquires images from a camera 40 installed within a waterproof housing 78. The details of the camera 40 are arbitrary, but it may be equipped with a wide-angle lens or the like so as to obtain images with a relatively wide field of view. Multiple cameras 40 may be installed. The camera 40 is fixed within the waterproof housing 78 so as to capture images of the suspended load 20. The waterproof housing 78 is provided with a window 781 for the camera 40. The window 781 is made of a transparent material, and the camera 40 captures images of the suspended load 20 through the window 781. Because the camera 40 is installed within the waterproof housing 78, it does not need to be waterproof. This allows the use of a relatively inexpensive camera 40.

[0030] In the example shown in FIG. 4, the waterproof casing 78 is provided with a light source 44 capable of illuminating the suspended load 20. The light source 44 may be an LED (Light Emitting Diode) or the like. By providing the light source 44, the brightness (luminance) of the image of the suspended load 20 captured by the camera 40 can be increased even underwater. The light source 44 may be provided inside the waterproof casing 78, or may be attached to the outer surface of the waterproof casing 78 as shown in FIG. 4. For example, the light source 44 may be provided around or near a window 781.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically illustrating the functions of the ship-side control device 60. As shown in FIG.

[0032] In this embodiment, the ship-side control device 60 also functions as a control device that executes control related to the hoisted load 20 via the hoisting direction control device 70. However, in a modified example, the ship-side control device 60 may be communicably connected to a control device (not shown) on the ship 4 or on land. In this case, the control device on the ship 4 or on land may implement some or all of the various functions of the ship-side control device 60 described below. In this case, the land-side control device may also be in the form of a server computer. Furthermore, some or all of the various functions of the ship-side control device 60 may be implemented by the load-side processing device 30.

[0033] As shown in Figure 5, the ship-side control device 60 includes an input unit 61, a suspended load image acquisition unit 62, an image processing unit 63, a direction information acquisition unit 64, a suspended load control unit 65, and a light source control unit 66.

[0034] The input unit 61 receives various inputs from a user. The various inputs from the user may include a target orientation of the suspended load 20, an instruction to change the orientation of the suspended load 20, etc. The user who provides input to the input unit 61 is typically a user who remotely controls the suspended load 20. However, in a modified example, control of the suspended load 20 may be realized based on an input generated by artificial intelligence.

[0035] The suspended load image acquisition unit 62 acquires an image of the suspended load 20 from the camera 40. The image of the suspended load 20 from the camera 40 is transmitted to the load-side processing device 30 via a wired cable 79, and then transmitted from the load-side processing device 30 to the ship-side control device 60 via wireless communication.

[0036] The image processing unit 63 detects various states of the suspended load 20 by performing image processing on the image (image of the suspended load 20) from the camera 40. For example, the image processing unit 63 detects the orientation of the suspended load 20. In this case, the orientation of the suspended load 20 is the orientation relative to the waterproof casing 78 (suspended load direction control device 70). The image processing unit 63 may also detect the relationship (e.g., distance) between an underwater object (e.g., the seabed) and the suspended load 20.

[0037] The orientation information acquisition unit 64 acquires sensor information and reception results from the gyro sensor 32 and GNSS antenna 33 of the load-side processing device 30. Then, the orientation information acquisition unit 64 calculates the orientation of the hoisting balance 50 based on the sensor information and reception results. The orientation of the hoisting balance 50 correlates with the orientation of the load direction control device 70. The orientation information acquisition unit 64 may detect the orientation of the load direction control device 70 by assuming that the orientation of the hoisting balance 50 and the orientation of the load direction control device 70 are the same.

[0038] The load control unit 65 executes control of the suspended load 20 based on an image of the suspended load 20 from the camera 40. Specifically, the load control unit 65 executes control of the suspended load 20 based on various states of the suspended load 20 obtained from the image processing unit 63. The load control unit 65 may control the orientation of the suspended load 20 via the load direction control device 70. For example, the load control unit 65 may control the orientation of the suspended load 20 via the load direction control device 70 so that the orientation of the suspended load 20 obtained from the image processing unit 63 becomes a target orientation (e.g., a target value based on user input input via the input unit 61). At this time, the orientation of the load direction control device 70 obtained by the orientation information acquisition unit 64 may be taken into consideration. By considering not only the orientation of the load direction control device 70 but also the orientation of the suspended load 20 relative to the load direction control device 70, the orientation of the suspended load 20 can be detected (determined) with high accuracy.

[0039] In this embodiment, the control signal from the load control unit 65 is transmitted to the load side processing device 30 via wireless communication, and may be transmitted (transferred) from the load side processing device 30 to the load direction control device 70 via a wired cable 79.

[0040] The light source control unit 66 controls the light source 44. For example, the light source control unit 66 may control the on / off of the light source 44 and the output of the light source 44 in response to a user input input via the input unit 61.

[0041] Incidentally, when checking the condition of the suspended load 20 underwater, there are methods to use the eyes of a person such as a diver, or to use an underwater drone equipped with a camera.

[0042] However, methods that rely on divers have the problem of placing a heavy burden on the divers. Furthermore, methods that use underwater drones equipped with cameras have the problem of requiring the operation of the underwater drone, which places a heavy burden on the operator. Furthermore, images captured by the underwater drone are taken from the underwater drone's own position, and in situations where the position of the underwater drone relative to the suspended load 20 is unstable, it is difficult to immediately grasp the status of the suspended load 20 from the images.

[0043] In contrast, according to this embodiment, a camera 40 fixed to the load direction control device 70 is used, so the image from the camera 40 is always from the viewpoint of the load direction control device 70, making it easy to instantly grasp the state of the load 20 from the image.

[0044] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, the camera 40 is disposed inside the waterproof housing 78 of the load direction control device 70, making it easy to secure a power source. Furthermore, the camera 40 does not need to have extremely high waterproof performance, and can capture stable images even underwater.

[0045] Furthermore, according to this embodiment, image data from the camera 40 is transmitted to the ship-side control device 60 via the load-side processing device 30, thereby avoiding the inconvenience that can occur when transmitting data to the ship-side control device 60 using the wired cable 79 from the load direction control device 70. In other words, when transmitting data to the ship-side control device 60 using the wired cable 79, the wired cable 79 becomes long and is prone to problems such as tangling. In contrast, according to this embodiment, the length of the wired cable 79 can be minimized, effectively preventing problems such as tangling of the wired cable 79. However, in a modified example, image data may be transmitted to the ship-side control device 60 using the wired cable 79.

[0046] Although each embodiment has been described in detail above, it is not limited to the specific embodiment, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the claims. It is also possible to combine all or a plurality of components of the above-described embodiments.

[0047] For example, in the embodiment described above, the camera 40 is disposed inside the waterproof housing 78 of the load direction control device 70, but this is not limited to this. The camera 40 may also be disposed inside a waterproof housing (not shown) separate from the waterproof housing 78 of the load direction control device 70 and provided between the hook 10 and the load 20. In this case, the separate waterproof housing may be fixed to the outer underside of the waterproof housing 78, for example. The video transmission cable of the camera in the separate waterproof housing may be connected directly from the separate waterproof housing to the load-side processing device 30, or may be connected from the separate waterproof housing to the load-side processing device 30 via the waterproof housing 78. In the latter case, the video transmission cable of the camera may be connected to the load-side processing device 30 as a group of cables together with the cable related to the load direction control device 70 in the waterproof housing 78. [Explanation of symbols]

[0048] 1 Underwater load control system 4 ships 10 Hooks 20 Hanging load 30 Load-side processing equipment (example of processing equipment) 31 Computer 32 Gyro sensor 33 GNSS antenna 34 Wireless communication equipment 35 Wired communication devices 36 Power supply 39 Case 40 Camera 44 Light source 50 Hanging balance 60 Ship-side control device 61 Input section 62 Suspended load image acquisition unit (image acquisition unit) 63 Image processing section 64 Orientation information acquisition unit 65 Lifting load control section 66 Light source control unit 70 Load direction control device 71 Electric Motor 72 Gyro mechanism 78 Waterproof housing 79 Wired Cable 781 Window 90 Lifting device 92 Jib W Wire

Claims

1. an image acquisition unit that acquires images of a suspended load suspended from a hook extending from a lifting device on the ship side or on land side and submerged in water from a camera in a waterproof housing provided between the hook and the suspended load; and a load control unit that executes control of the load based on the image.

2. 2. The underwater lifting control system of claim 1, wherein the waterproof housing is a container in which a load direction control device capable of changing the orientation of the load underwater is provided, or a separate sealed pressure-resistant container fixed to the container.

3. The underwater load control system according to claim 1 , wherein the waterproof housing has a window for the camera.

4. The underwater load control system according to claim 1 , further comprising a light source provided in the waterproof housing and capable of illuminating the load.

5. Further provided is a processing device that is located at a height level below the hook and above the water surface and rises and falls as the hook rises and falls, the processing device is connected to the camera via a wired cable; the image acquisition unit acquires the image supplied to the processing device via the wired cable via wireless communication with the processing device; An underwater lifting control system as described in any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the load control unit supplies a control signal to be transmitted to the processing device via wireless communication with the processing device to the load direction control device via the wired cable.

Images