Manufacturing method of underwater observation equipment

Abstract

To provide an underwater observation device for solving excessive deformation because of lead-in of an elastic body.SOLUTION: An underwater observation device 1 includes: a casing 10 in which both ends are open; a sensor 11 that is disposed in the casing 10 and can acquire underwater environment information; a closing plate 21 for closing a first opening surface of the casing 10; an elastic body 31 that closes a second opening surface of the casing 10 and can be deformed according to underwater pressure; a stiff support member 41 that is disposed in the casing 10 and is in a shape along an inner surface shape of the elastic body 31; and oil 51 filled into the casing 10. An inner surface 31a of the elastic body 31 and a surface 41a of the support member 41 that opposes the inner surface 31a are arranged in a mutually separated state.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to underwater observation devices. [Background technology]

[0002] Underwater observation equipment is a device that collects water pressure data, acoustic data, etc. by measuring the pressure and subtle changes in pressure at the bottom of the sea or lake. The data collected by underwater observation equipment is used for various purposes, such as predicting tsunamis.

[0003] Such underwater observation equipment is filled with oil to improve the electrical insulation of built-in electronic components, such as sensors, etc. Patent Document 1 discloses an underwater observation equipment whose housing has openings at both ends, with an oil-filled side plate at one end of the opening and an end-sealing elastic body at the other end. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-129516 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the underwater observation device described above, when the housing is evacuated to inject oil, the elastic body arranged on one opening surface of the housing is pulled into the housing, causing excessive deformation of the elastic body.

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned problems, an object of the present disclosure is to provide an underwater observation device that solves the problem of excessive deformation caused by the retraction of an elastic body into a housing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The underwater observation device according to the present disclosure includes: a housing having openings at both ends; a sensor disposed within the housing and capable of acquiring underwater environmental information; a closing plate that closes the first opening surface of the housing; an elastic body that closes the second opening surface of the housing and is deformable in response to the pressure in the water; a rigid support member disposed within the housing and having a shape that conforms to the inner surface shape of the elastic body; oil filled in the housing, The inner surface of the elastic body and the surface of the support member that faces the inner surface are disposed in a spaced relationship to each other. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present disclosure, it is possible to provide an underwater observation device that solves the problem of excessive deformation caused by the retraction of an elastic body into a housing. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an underwater observation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an underwater observation device according to an embodiment. [Figure 3] 10 is a side cross-sectional view showing a state in which oil is poured into the underwater observation device according to the embodiment. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] <Embodiment> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. The right-handed xyz coordinate system shown in the figure is for the convenience of explaining the positional relationships of the components. Unless otherwise specified, the positive direction of the z axis is the vertical upward direction. Also, some reference numerals in the figure have been omitted for components that have multiple identical components.

[0011] Figure 1 is a side cross-sectional view showing an underwater observation device according to this embodiment. The underwater observation device 1 shown in Figure 1 comprises a housing 10, a sensor 11, a closure plate 21, an elastic body 31, and a support member 41. Hereinafter, the space surrounded by the housing 10, the closure plate 21, the elastic body 31, and the support member 41 will be referred to as the inside of the housing 10.

[0012] The housing 10 is open at both ends. The sensor 11 is capable of acquiring underwater environmental information and is disposed within the housing 10. The closure plate 21 closes the first open side of the housing 10. The elastic body 31 closes the second open side of the housing 10 and is deformable in response to underwater pressure. The support member 41 is rigid, disposed within the housing 10, and has a shape that follows the shape of the inner surface of the elastic body 31. The housing 10 is filled with oil 51. In other words, the sensor 11 is present in the oil 51. As shown in FIG. 1, the inner surface 31a of the elastic body 31 and the surface 41a of the support member 41 facing the inner surface 31a are disposed spaced apart from each other.

[0013] Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 2, the members included in each configuration shown in FIG. 1 will be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a side cross-sectional view showing an underwater observation device according to this embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, housing 10 extends in the x-axis direction, and both end faces (the yz plane on the positive side of the x-axis and the yz plane on the negative side of the x-axis) are open. Housing 10 may have, for example, a cylindrical shape, a rectangular tubular shape, or a tubular shape with a polygonal cross section. Housing 10 is a rigid body. Housing 10 may be formed from a material that is corrosion-resistant or anticorrosive in water, or may have an outer surface that comes into contact with water coated with a corrosion inhibitor or the like. A first open face of housing 10 on the negative side of the x-axis is closed by rigid closing plate 21, and a second open face of housing 10 on the positive side of the x-axis is closed by elastic body 31.

[0014] 2, a sensor 11 capable of acquiring underwater environmental information is disposed within the housing 10. For example, a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor can be used as the sensor 11. The pressure sensor may be a sensor capable of acquiring temperature as well as pressure.

[0015] First, the negative x-axis side of the housing 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the closure plate 21 is a member that closes the first opening surface (yz plane) on the negative side of the x-axis of the housing 10. The closure plate 21 is flat and has a protrusion 21a (on the positive side of the x-axis from the dashed line in FIG. 2) that can be fitted into the housing 10. The housing 10 and the closure plate 21 can be fitted together via an O-ring 21b. The O-ring 21b is a member that can increase the airtightness between the housing 10 and the closure plate 21. In other words, the O-ring 21b is a member that can block communication between the inside of the housing 10 and the external space.

[0016] The closing plate 21 includes, as components related to the sensor 11, a shaft 12, an insulating ring 13, a sensor-side terminal 14, a signal line 15, a housing-side terminal 16, and a signal extraction terminal 17. Other components of the closing plate 21 will be described later.

[0017] The shaft 12 and insulating ring 13 are members that support the sensor 11. As shown in Fig. 2, the shaft 12 is attached to the yz plane on the x-axis positive side of the closure plate 21, and extends in the x-axis direction. The insulating ring 13 is attached to the tip of the shaft 12 on the x-axis positive side. The sensor 11 is fixed to the shaft 12 via the insulating ring 13.

[0018] The sensor-side terminal 14, signal line 15, housing-side terminal 16, and signal output terminal 17 are components for outputting the detection signal acquired by the sensor 11 to the outside of the underwater observation device 1. As shown in FIG. 2, the sensor-side terminal 14, signal line 15, housing-side terminal 16, and signal output terminal 17 can be arranged, for example, two each in the center of the closure plate 21. The detection signal acquired by the sensor 11 is output to the outside of the underwater observation device 1 via the sensor-side terminal 14, signal line 15, and housing-side terminal 16. The housing-side terminal 16 is drawn to the outside by the signal output terminal 17 attached to the closure plate 21.

[0019] In this embodiment, two shafts 12 and two insulating rings 13 are shown as an example, but the numbers of each can be changed as appropriate depending on the size of sensor 11, etc. Furthermore, as long as sensor 11 can be supported within housing 10, a configuration other than shaft 12 may be used as the support mechanism. Furthermore, sensor-side terminal 14, signal line 15, housing-side terminal 16, and signal output terminal 17 may be arranged in positions where environmental information acquired by sensor 11 can be output to the outside. For example, sensor-side terminal 14, signal line 15, housing-side terminal 16, and signal output terminal 17 may be provided on the surface of sensor 11 facing housing 10.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 2, the closure plate 21 further includes an air exhaust hole 22, an oil injection hole 23, an airtight member 24, an O-ring 24a, and fixing members 25a and 25b.

[0021] The air exhaust hole 22 and the oil injection hole 23 are through-holes arranged in the closure plate 21 and extending in the x-axis direction. The air exhaust hole 22 is a hole for exhausting air from inside the housing 10. That is, the air exhaust hole 22 is a hole for creating a vacuum inside the housing 10. The oil injection hole 23 is a hole for injecting oil 51 into the housing 10. A method for exhausting air from inside the housing 10 using the air exhaust hole 22 and the oil injection hole 23 and a method for injecting oil 51 into the housing 10 will be described later with reference to FIG. 3.

[0022] The airtight member 24 is a plug capable of sealing the air exhaust hole 22 and the oil fill hole 23. The airtight member 24 can be screwed or press-fitted into the air exhaust hole 22 and the oil fill hole 23. The airtight member 24 may be a screw or bolt made of a rigid body such as metal, or may be a screw or bolt made of an elastic body such as rubber. When the airtight member 24 made of an elastic body is used, the O-ring 24a described below does not need to be used. As shown in FIG. 2 , when the airtight member 24 is a screw or bolt, the head of the airtight member 24 is screwed or press-fitted into a recess formed on the negative side of the x-axis of the closure plate 21. Note that the head of the airtight member 24 may be configured to protrude to the negative side of the x-axis of the closure plate 21 without forming a recess on the negative side of the x-axis of the closure plate 21.

[0023] The O-ring 24a is a member that can further improve the airtightness when the airtight member 24 closes the air exhaust hole 22 and the oil fill hole 23. The O-ring 24a is an annular member. An elastic member made of, for example, rubber can be used as the O-ring 24a. As shown in FIG. 2, the diameter of the O-ring 24a is larger than the air exhaust hole 22 and the oil fill hole 23 and smaller than the diameter of the head of the airtight member 24. The O-ring 24a having such a diameter can block communication between the inside of the housing 10 and the external space and can seal the inside of the housing 10 filled with oil 51.

[0024] The fixing members 25a and 25b are members that can fix the housing 10 and the closure plate 21 in a state of tight contact with each other via an O-ring 21b. The fixing members 25a and 25b are, for example, screws or bolts. When a bolt is used, a washer may be used in combination with the bolt.

[0025] Next, the x-axis positive side of the housing 10 will be described. As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic body 31 is a member that closes the second opening surface (yz plane) on the x-axis positive side of the housing 10. The elastic body 31 is an elastic body that can deform in response to underwater pressure. The elastic body 31 can be formed using, for example, silicone rubber. As shown in FIG. 2, the elastic body 31 can be hat-shaped in cross section. The outer edge portion 32 of the elastic body 31 has a convex shape that extends to the x-axis positive side and the x-axis negative side. The ring 44 fixes the outer edge portion 32 of the elastic body 31 to an end portion 43 of a support member 41 (described later). The ring 44 has a shape that can fix the convex shape of the outer edge portion 32 on the x-axis positive side. The ring 44 can fix the outer edge portion 32 to the end portion 43 of the support member 41 around the entire circumference. The contact surface between the ring 44 and the end portion 43 of the support member 41 is sealed by the elastic body 31. Furthermore, the contact surface between the end 43 of the support member 41 and the housing 10 is also sealed by an O-ring or the like (not shown).

[0026] As shown in FIG. 2, the support member 41 is disposed on the positive side of the x-axis within the housing 10. Although a sealed support member 41 is shown as an example in FIG. 2, the support member 41 is not limited to this. Alternatively, for example, the support member 41 may be formed of a hollow three-dimensional structure or a plate-like member. The support member 41 is a rigid body and may be formed using a metal that is resistant to deformation when pressure is applied. More specifically, the support member 41 may be formed using, for example, stainless steel.

[0027] 2, the support member 41 has at least one through hole 42 that connects the space S formed by the inner surface 31a of the elastic body 31 and the surface 41a of the support member 41 facing the inner surface 31a to the inside of the housing 10. The through hole 42 is a hole that is provided to allow oil 51 to pass through. The through hole 42 is provided so that the support member 41 can maintain a strength that is not deformed by water pressure.

[0028] Here, V1 denotes the volume of the space S formed by the inner surface 31a of the elastic body 31 shown in Figure 2 and the surface 41a of the support member 41 facing the inner surface 31a. V2 denotes the difference volume obtained by subtracting the volume of the oil 51 contracted by water pressure from the volume of the oil 51 before the underwater observation device 1 is placed underwater. The shapes of the elastic body 31 and the support member 41 are determined so as to satisfy the relationship V1 ≥ V2. This has the advantage that the elastic body 31 and the support member 41 do not come into contact with each other.

[0029] As shown in FIG. 2, the end 43 of the support member 41 is fixed in close contact with the housing 10. The method for fixing the end 43 to the housing 10 is not particularly limited, and any method can be used. For example, the end 43 may be fixed using a fixing member such as a screw or a bolt, an adhesive, or a combination of a fixing member and an adhesive. The end 43 has a shape corresponding to the outer edge 32 of the elastic body 31. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the end 43 may have a concave shape corresponding to the convex shape of the outer edge 32. Note that a corrosion inhibitor or the like may be applied to the surface of the end 43 of the support member 41 that comes into contact with water.

[0030] When the support member 41 is formed from a hollow three-dimensional structure or a plate-like member, the surface 41a has a shape that conforms to the shape of the inner surface 31a of the elastic body 31 and is strong enough not to be deformed by water pressure. When the support member 41 is formed from a plate-like member, it may have the same shape as the elastic body 31, for example. Furthermore, when the sensor 11 placed inside the housing 10 is a pressure sensor, more accurate pressure reception is possible when the pressure sensor's pressure-receiving surface is positioned toward the elastic body 31 and the support member 41 compared to when the sensor is positioned facing the other surface.

[0031] Furthermore, the through hole 42 only needs to be able to pass through the oil 51, which is a fluid. Therefore, the size and shape of the through hole 42 can be set arbitrarily within a range that allows the strength of the support member 41 to be maintained. For example, the shape of the through hole 42 can be circular, elliptical, rectangular, or polygonal in cross section. Also, while FIG. 2 shows one through hole 42 extending in the x-axis direction from the surface 41c to the surface 41a, this is not limiting. For example, the through hole 42 may have a shape that extends in any direction from the surface 41c and curves in any direction inside the support member 41.

[0032] When a plurality of through holes are provided, the through holes may be arranged at equal intervals or at any intervals. When the through holes are arranged at equal intervals, the oil 51 can be more evenly filled into the space S when the oil 51 is injected and filled into the housing 10.

[0033] Next, the flow of injecting oil into the underwater observation device according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 3. Figure 3 is a side cross-sectional view showing the process of injecting oil into the underwater observation device according to this embodiment. In Figure 3, the configuration other than the spacer 27 and pipes 28 and 29 is the same as that in Figure 2, and the same components are indicated by the same reference numerals. As shown in Figure 3, when injecting oil 51 into the underwater observation device 1, the airtight member 24, fixing members 25a and 25b, and O-ring 24a described above with reference to Figure 2 are not provided.

[0034] As shown in Fig. 3, while the oil 51 is being poured, the housing 10 and the closure plate 21 can be temporarily fixed together with a spacer 27 sandwiched between them. By sandwiching the spacer 27 between the housing 10 and the closure plate 21 when pouring the oil 51, the volume of the space inside the housing 10 can be expanded. That is, by providing the spacer 27, more oil 51 can be poured into the space inside the housing 10 compared to when the spacer 27 is not provided. Note that the fixing members for temporarily fixing the housing 10 and the closure plate 21 can be the fixing members 25a and 25b described above with reference to Fig. 2 (not shown in Fig. 3).

[0035] The spacer 27 may be, for example, an annular body made up of a combination of multiple C-shaped members. The C-shaped members constituting the spacer 27 are not firmly connected to each other. Therefore, after the oil 51 is filled into the housing 10, the spacer 27 can be pulled out when the housing 10 and the closure plate 21 are fixed together. The spacer 27 may also be formed, for example, from a compressible annular elastic member.

[0036] The oil 51 can be injected into the housing 10 using an oil injection device (not shown). The oil injection device includes a pump valve and an air suction pump for vacuuming the inside of the housing 10, and an oil valve and an oil storage unit (not shown) for injecting the oil 51 into the housing 10. The air suction pump is a pump that sucks air from inside the housing 10, i.e., performs vacuuming. The oil storage unit stores the oil 51. By utilizing the negative pressure that occurs in the space inside the housing 10 after the air is sucked in, the oil 51 can be sent from the oil storage unit into the housing 10.

[0037] The pipe 28 and the pipe 29 are connected to the closure plate 21 and the oil injection device, respectively. More specifically, the pipe 28 connected to the air exhaust hole 22 of the closure plate 21 is connected to an air suction pump via a pump valve. Furthermore, the pipe 29 connected to the oil injection hole 23 of the closure plate 21 is connected to an oil reservoir via an oil valve.

[0038] Next, a procedure for sucking air out of the housing 10 using an air suction pump provided in the oil injection device and injecting oil 51 into the housing 10 will be described.

[0039] First, the worker sandwiches spacer 27 between housing 10 and closure plate 21, and fixes housing 10 and closure plate 21 using a fixing member. Next, pipe 28, which is connected to the air suction pump via a pump valve, is connected to air exhaust hole 22. Also, pipe 29, which is connected to the oil reservoir via an oil valve, is connected to oil injection hole 23. At this point, the pump valve and oil valve are closed.

[0040] Next, the operator activates the air suction pump and opens the pump valve to evacuate the space within the housing 10. When the air within the housing 10 is suctioned, the elastic body 31 is drawn in the air drawing direction (the negative x-axis direction), but this drawing is suppressed by the rigid support member 41. Next, the oil 51 is poured in. The oil 51 can be poured in with the underwater observation device 1 placed vertically or horizontally. The vertical position means that the elastic body 31 is positioned on the negative z-axis side and the closure plate 21 is positioned on the positive z-axis side. When the oil 51 is poured in with the device placed vertically, the oil 51 can be easily filled into the housing 10 and can be more evenly filled throughout the entire housing 10.

[0041] 3, the elastic body 31 and the support member 41 protrude in the positive direction of the x-axis. Therefore, when the underwater observation device 1 is placed vertically, it can be placed on a table or the like having a recessed shape that can accommodate the protrusions, and oil 51 can be poured in. Air suction can also be performed with the underwater observation device 1 placed vertically.

[0042] When the space inside the housing 10 becomes negative pressure (vacuum state), the pump valve is closed and the oil valve is opened. As a result, oil 51 is injected from the oil reservoir into the space inside the housing 10, which is now under negative pressure. The air suction and oil injection may be performed in a single step, or the air suction and oil injection steps may be repeated multiple times. When the air suction and oil injection steps are performed multiple times, the second and subsequent air suction steps can also be performed to vacuum degas the oil 51 injected into the housing 10 in the previous step. In other words, gas that may be contained in the oil 51 can be degassed.

[0043] Whether the space within the housing 10 has been filled with oil 51 can be determined by checking a change in the amount of oil 51 stored in the oil reservoir. Alternatively, if oil 51 overflows from the air exhaust hole 22 or the oil inlet hole 23, it can be determined that the space within the housing 10 has been filled with oil 51.

[0044] When it is determined that the space inside the housing 10 has been filled with oil 51, the worker closes both the pump valve and the oil valve, removes the pipe 28 from the air exhaust hole 22, and removes the pipe 29 from the oil injection hole 23.

[0045] Thereafter, the worker screws or presses the airtight member 24 into the air exhaust hole 22 and the oil injection hole 23 to plug them (see FIG. 2).

[0046] However, at this point, there is a possibility that air may remain in the space within the housing 10. Therefore, first, the airtight member 24 is attached, and then the spacer 27 is removed. If a combination of multiple C-shaped members is used as the spacer 27, the C-shaped members can be easily removed because they are not firmly fixed. Here, the airtightness of the space within the housing 10 is achieved by the O-ring 21b. Therefore, even when the spacer 27 is removed, the airtightness of the space within the housing 10 is not compromised.

[0047] Next, with the spacer 27 removed, the worker uses the fixing members 25a and 25b to fix the closure plate 21 to the housing 10 (see FIG. 2). When fixing, the closure plate 21 is pushed toward the housing 10 (positive direction of the x-axis) while being fixed. When the closure plate 21 is pushed in while being fixed, the volume of the space inside the housing 10 is compressed, and the pressure inside the housing 10 increases. This reduces the volume of air remaining in the space inside the housing 10. Furthermore, since a large amount of oil has been injected, the elastic body 31 expands, and the space S between it and the support member 41 and the volume V1 increase, making it easier to satisfy the relationship V1≧V2.

[0048] When a compressible elastic body is used as the spacer 27, the spacer 27 can be fixed by being pressed in the positive direction of the x-axis with a fixing member so as to be crushed.

[0049] The underwater observation device described in Patent Document 1 had a problem in that when the housing was evacuated to inject oil, the elastic body arranged on one opening surface of the housing was pulled into the housing, causing excessive deformation of the elastic body.

[0050] In contrast, the underwater observation device according to this embodiment is provided with a support member inside the housing. The support member is rigid and has a shape that conforms to the inner shape of the elastic body. By providing the support member inside the housing, the elastic body comes into contact with the support member, preventing excessive deformation.

[0051] Specifically, when the underwater observation device is used underwater, the amount of deformation of the elastic body relative to the water pressure strength can be reduced. Also, when the housing is evacuated and oil is injected into it, excessive deformation of the elastic body can be prevented without using a jig outside the device to prevent the elastic body from being drawn into the housing. Therefore, the load on the elastic body can be reduced.

[0052] Furthermore, by providing a support member inside the housing, the volume of the support member can reduce the volume of the space inside the housing that is filled with oil, and therefore the amount of oil to be filled can also be reduced.

[0053] The present disclosure is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be modified as appropriate within the scope of the present disclosure. [Explanation of symbols]

[0054] 1 Underwater observation equipment 10. Cabinet 11 Sensors 12 shafts 13 Insulation ring 14 Sensor side terminal 15 Signal line 16 Housing side terminal 17 Signal output terminal 21 Occlusion plate 21a Convex part 21b O-ring 22 Air exhaust hole 23 Oil filling hole 24 Airtight materials 24a O-ring 25a, 25b fixing members 27 Spacer 28, 29 Pipes 31 Elastic Body 31a Inner surface 32 outer edge 41 Support member 41a side 41c side 42 Through hole 43 End 44 Ring 51 Oil S space

Claims

1. a housing having openings at both ends; a sensor disposed within the housing and capable of acquiring underwater environmental information; a closing plate that closes the first opening of the housing; an elastic body that closes the second opening surface of the housing and is deformable in response to the pressure in the water; a rigid support member disposed within the housing and having a shape that conforms to the inner surface shape of the elastic body; a liquid filled in the housing, an inner surface of the elastic body and a surface of the support member facing the inner surface are disposed in a spaced-apart relationship with each other; A method for manufacturing an underwater observation device, comprising: a step of sandwiching a spacer between the housing and the blocking plate; sucking air from inside the housing; injecting the liquid into the housing; removing or crushing the spacer; Including, A method for manufacturing underwater observation equipment.

2. The volume of the space formed by the inner surface of the elastic body and the surface of the support member facing the inner surface is defined as V1, When the difference volume obtained by subtracting the volume of the liquid contracted by water pressure from the volume of the liquid before the underwater observation device was placed in the water is defined as V2, The method for manufacturing an underwater observation device according to claim 1 , wherein the amount of the liquid injected is adjusted so as to satisfy the relationship V1≧V2.

3. 3. The method for manufacturing an underwater observation device according to claim 1, wherein the support member is a solid or hollow three-dimensional structure or a plate-like member.

4. A method for manufacturing an underwater observation device described in any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the support member has at least one through hole connecting the space formed by the inner surface of the elastic body and the surface of the support member facing the inner surface to the inside of the housing.

5. The liquid is injected through an injection port provided in the blocking plate, with the elastic body side positioned vertically downward and the blocking plate positioned vertically upward. A method for manufacturing the underwater observation device according to claim 4.

6. The method for manufacturing an underwater observation device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the sensor is a pressure sensor, a temperature sensor, or an ultrasonic sensor.

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