Apparatus for cleaning outer surface of ship

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus with a novel structure for cleaning the outer surface of a ship, which has a simple structure and can effectively clean the outer surface of a ship even when the ship is operating. The apparatus for cleaning the outer surface of a ship, according to the present invention, has the advantage of having a simple structure and being able to clean while a ship (1) is operating because when a towing rope (30) is unwound so as to be submerged in water while the ship (1) moves forward, a cleaning member (40) is rotated while being automatically lifted and lowered in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) to clean fouling on the outer surface of the ship (1)

Description

Ship exterior cleaning device

[0001] The present invention relates to a new structured ship exterior cleaning device that has a simple structure and can effectively clean the exterior of a ship even when the ship is in operation.

[0002] In general, ships are operated with their lower sides submerged in water, so as time passes, foreign substances such as moss adhere to the lower perimeter of the submerged outer surface, and if these foreign substances are left unattended, the foreign substances cause resistance, which causes problems such as a decrease in the ship's speed or an increase in fuel consumption.

[0003] However, in order to remove foreign substances attached to the hull in this way, the ship must be moved to a dock on land, and workers must remove the foreign substances by spraying high-pressure water on the outer surface of the hull, which not only takes a long time, but also requires a lot of manpower.

[0004] Therefore, various types of cleaning devices have been developed recently to clean the exterior of a ship while it is floating on water, but these cleaning devices have a complex structure and cannot be used while the ship is in operation.

[0005] Therefore, a new method to solve these problems became necessary.

[0006] The present invention is intended to solve the above problems, and its purpose is to provide a new structured ship exterior cleaning device that is simple in structure and can effectively clean the exterior of a ship even when the ship is in operation.

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a main body (10) including a support shaft (11) extending in the front-back direction and front-rear support blocks (12, 13) provided at the front and rear ends of the support shaft (11), a plurality of support wheels (20) provided on one side of the front-rear support blocks (12, 13) so as to have a rotational center axis in the front-rear direction and are in close contact with the outer surface of a ship (1), a towing rope (30) connected to the front support block (12), a washing member (40) rotatably coupled to the outer side of the support shaft (11), front and rear wings (51, 52) provided to extend up and down from the front and rear support blocks (12, 13) so that the support wheels (20) and the washing member (40) are in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) by the flow of water generated as the ship (1) moves forward, and a lateral wing (51, 52) extending from the other side of the front support block and being inclined up and down by an angle adjusting means (54). A ship exterior cleaning device is provided, characterized by including an angle-adjustable rudder (53).

[0008] According to another feature of the present invention, a ship exterior cleaning device is provided, characterized in that the cleaning member (40) is configured in a tubular shape extending forward and backward and includes a rotating tube (41) rotatably coupled to the outside of the support shaft (11), and a brush (42) coupled to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41).

[0009] According to another feature of the present invention, a ship exterior cleaning device is provided, characterized in that the cleaning member (40) further includes a spiral member (43) that is provided to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41) so that the cleaning member (40) rotates by the flow of water.

[0010] According to another feature of the present invention, a ship exterior cleaning device is provided, characterized in that it further includes a depth measuring means (56) provided in the main body (10) to measure the distance from the water surface to the main body (10), and a control means (57) that receives a signal from the depth measuring means (56) and controls the operation of the angle adjusting means (54).

[0011] According to another feature of the present invention, a ship exterior cleaning device is provided, characterized in that it further includes a fixed wing (55) provided to extend laterally on the other side of the rear support block (13).

[0012] According to another feature of the present invention, a ship exterior cleaning device is provided, characterized in that an extension bar (12a) extending upward is provided on the upper surface of the front support block (12), and the towing rope (30) is connected to the upper end of the extension bar (12a).

[0013] According to another feature of the present invention, a ship exterior cleaning device is provided, which further includes a generator (59) provided in the main body (10) and generating electricity using the flow of water, a battery (58) connected to the generator (59) and storing electricity output from the generator (59), a rotation speed measuring means (61) provided in the main body (10) and measuring the rotation speed of the cleaning member (40), and a drive motor (62) connected to the cleaning member (40) and rotating the cleaning member (40) when turned on, and wherein the control means (57) receives a signal from the rotation speed measuring means (61) and drives the drive motor (62) when the cleaning member (40) rotates below a preset speed, thereby forcibly rotating the cleaning member (40).

[0014] The ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention is configured such that when the ship (1) is moving forward, the towing rope (30) is released to submerge the ship in water, and the cleaning member (40) is automatically raised and lowered in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) to clean contaminants attached to the outer surface of the ship (1), thereby having the advantage of being simple in structure and being able to perform cleaning while the ship (1) is in motion.

[0015] Figure 1 is a side view showing a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 is a plan view showing a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention;

[0017] Figure 3 is a front view showing a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 is a block diagram of a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention.

[0019] Figures 5 to 8 are reference drawings showing the operation of the ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention.

[0020] Figure 9 is a plan view showing a second embodiment of a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention;

[0021] Figure 10 is a cross-sectional view showing the main part of a second embodiment of a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention.

[0022] Figure 11 is a block diagram of a second embodiment of a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention.

[0023] Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on the attached exemplary drawings.

[0024] Figures 1 to 8 illustrate a ship exterior cleaning device according to the present invention, comprising a main body (10) composed of a support shaft (11) extending in the forward-backward direction and front and rear support blocks (12, 13) provided at the front and rear ends of the support shaft (11), a plurality of support wheels (20) provided on one side of the front and rear support blocks (12, 13) so as to have a rotational center axis in the forward-backward direction and to be in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1), a towing rope (30) connected to the front support block (12), a cleaning member (40) rotatably coupled to the outer side of the support shaft (11), front and rear wings (51, 52) provided to extend up and down from the front and rear support blocks (12, 13) so that the support wheels (20) and the cleaning member (40) are in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) by the flow of water generated as the ship (1) moves forward, and extending laterally from the other side of the front support block. It is composed of a rudder (53) whose angle is adjusted to tilt up and down by an angle adjustment means (54), a fixed wing (55) which is provided to extend laterally on the other side of the rear support block (13), a depth measurement means (56) which is provided on the main body (10) to measure the distance from the water surface to the main body (10), and a control means (57) which receives a signal from the depth measurement means (56) and controls the operation of the angle adjustment means (54).

[0025] The above support shaft (11) is configured in the shape of a cylinder extending in the front-back direction.

[0026] The above front and rear support blocks (12, 13) are configured in the shape of square blocks extending in the front and rear direction.

[0027] At this time, an extension bar (12a) extending upward is provided on the upper surface of the front support block (12).

[0028] As shown in Fig. 3, the above support wheels (20) are provided two each on one side of the front and rear support blocks (12, 13), that is, on the side facing the outer surface of the ship (1), spaced apart in the vertical direction, and are in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) to support the main body (10) so that it can move smoothly in the vertical direction.

[0029] As shown in Fig. 5, the above towing rope (30) is released downward from a winch (31) provided on the ship (1) and is connected to the upper end of the extension bar (12a).

[0030] The above-mentioned cleaning member (40) is configured in a tubular shape extending forward and backward and is composed of a rotating tube (41) that is rotatably coupled to the outside of the support shaft (11), a brush (42) that is coupled to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41), and a spiral member (43) that is provided to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41) so that the cleaning member (40) is rotated by the flow of water.

[0031] The brush (42) is configured so that when the support wheel (20) is in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1), the outer peripheral surface is in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) and when the rotating tube (41) rotates, the outer peripheral surface rubs and removes foreign substances attached to the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0032] The above spiral member (43) is made of synthetic resin material, and when the water flowing backwards as the ship (1) moves forward collides with the spiral member (43), the spiral member (43) rotates, causing the entire cleaning member (40) to rotate.

[0033] At this time, the diameter of the spiral member (43) is smaller than that of the brush (42), so that the peripheral surface of the spiral member (43) is configured not to come into close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0034] The front wing (51) is configured to extend in the vertical direction from the upper and lower surfaces of the front support block (12), and the rear wing (52) is configured to extend in the vertical direction from the upper and lower surfaces of the rear support block (13).

[0035] At this time, the front and rear wings (51, 52) are configured in a convex wing shape on the side facing the outer surface of the ship (1), so that when the ship (1) moves forward and water flowing backward passes through the circumference, lift is generated toward the outer surface of the ship (1), so that the main body (10) is pressed against the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0036] The above rudder (53) is provided to extend laterally on the other side of the front support block, that is, on the opposite side of the side facing the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0037] The above angle adjustment means (54) is provided to be embedded in the other side of the front support block, and a drive shaft (54a) extending laterally is coupled to the rudder (53), and rotates the rudder (53) to tilt upward or downward depending on the operation.

[0038] The above fixed wing (55) is provided to extend in the front-back direction on the other side of the rear support block (13).

[0039] The above water depth measuring means (56) is configured to measure the water pressure, measure the distance from the water surface to the main body (10), and output the measured value to the control means (57).

[0040] The above control means (57) is operated using electricity from the battery (14) provided in the main body (10).

[0041] The method for cleaning the outer surface of a ship using a ship exterior cleaning device configured in this manner is described as follows.

[0042] First, with the ship (1) moving forward at an appropriate speed, as shown in Fig. 5, the towing rope (30) is fixed to the upper end of the extension bar (12a), and then the winch (31) is released, so that the cleaning device is lowered while hanging from the towing rope (30).

[0043] At this time, the cleaning device is hung on a towing rope (30) so as to be lowered backward.

[0044] And, when the winch (31) is released to further lower the cleaning device, the rear end of the cleaning device first contacts the water surface, and the cleaning device changes direction to extend forward and backward and is submerged in the water by its own weight.

[0045] And, as shown in Fig. 6, when the cleaning device is submerged in water, a lifting force is generated toward the ship (1) on the front and rear wings (51, 52) by the water flow generated as the ship (1) moves forward, so that the peripheral surface of the support wheel (20) and the brush (42) of the cleaning member (40) are in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0046] And, as water collides with the spiral member (43) of the washing member (40), the washing member (40) rotates, causing the brush (42) of the washing member (40) to clean the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0047] At this time, the control means (57) controls the operation of the angle adjustment means (54) while feeding back the signal of the depth measurement means (56), thereby allowing the cleaning device to be raised or lowered at a constant water level.

[0048] That is, as shown in Fig. 6, when the cleaning device is raised to approach the water surface, the control means (57) controls the angle adjustment means (54) to control the rudder (53) to move upwards toward the rear, thereby lowering the cleaning device.

[0049] Conversely, as shown in Fig. 7, when the cleaning device is lowered to a preset depth, the control means (57) controls the angle adjustment means (54) to control the rudder (53) to be lowered rearward, thereby causing the cleaning device to rise.

[0050] Accordingly, as the cleaning device is raised and lowered, the cleaning member (40) rotates to clean foreign substances attached to the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0051] At this time, as shown in Fig. 8, when the winch (31) is slowly released, the cleaning device moves to the rear of the ship (1) and wipes away foreign substances attached to the entire outer surface of the ship (1).

[0052] And, when cleaning of the exterior of the ship (1) is completed, the winch (31) is operated to wind up the towing rope (30), thereby recovering the cleaning device.

[0053] The ship exterior cleaning device configured in this manner has the advantage of being simple in structure and being able to perform cleaning while the ship (1) is moving forward, by releasing the towing rope (30) and submerging it in water, the cleaning member (40) is automatically raised and lowered in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) and rotates to clean contaminants attached to the outer surface of the ship (1).

[0054] And, the washing member (40) is configured with a tubular shape extending forward and backward, and is configured with a rotating tube (41) that is rotatably coupled to the outside of the support shaft (11), a brush (42) that is coupled to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41), and a spiral member (43) that is provided to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41) so that the washing member (40) is rotated by the flow of water, so that the washing member (40) is rotated by the flow of water without a separate power source.

[0055] Therefore, it is possible to minimize the amount of electricity consumed for cleaning work, and it has the advantage of being able to perform cleaning work for a long time while submerged in water.

[0056] In addition, a depth measurement means (56) is provided on the main body (10) to measure the distance from the water surface to the main body (10), and a control means (57) is provided to receive a signal from the depth measurement means (56) and control the operation of the angle adjustment means (54), so that the cleaning device is automatically raised and lowered, thereby having the advantage of being able to effectively clean the entire outer surface of the ship (1).

[0057] In particular, since the other side of the rear support block (13) is provided with a fixed wing (55) that extends laterally, there is an advantage in that the cleaning device can be effectively extended in the forward and backward directions.

[0058] In addition, an extension bar (12a) extending upward is provided on the upper surface of the front support block (12), and the traction rope (30) is connected to the upper end of the extension bar (12a), so that when the cleaning device is placed in water, there is an advantage in that the cleaning device can smoothly take up its position.

[0059] FIGS. 9 to 11 illustrate another embodiment according to the present invention, and further include a generator (59) provided in the main body (10) to generate electricity using the flow of water, a battery (58) connected to the generator (59) to store electricity output from the generator (59), a rotation speed measuring means (61) provided in the main body (10) to measure the rotation speed of the cleaning member (40), and a driving motor (62) connected to the cleaning member (40) to rotate the cleaning member (40) when turned on.

[0060] For this purpose, an extension portion (13a) extending rearward is provided at the rear end of the rear support block (13).

[0061] The above generator (59) is equipped with a propeller (59a) that rotates by the flow of water, so that when the ship (1) moves forward while submerged in water, the propeller (59a) rotates and generates power.

[0062] The above rotational speed measuring means (61) uses a rotational speed detection sensor provided on the support shaft (11) to detect the rotational speed of the cleaning member (40).

[0063] The above driving motor (62) is provided in the rear support block (13), and when connected to the rotating tube (41) and operated, rotates the rotating tube (41) in one direction.

[0064] To this end, a driven gear (41a) is provided on the outer peripheral surface of the rear end of the rotary tube (41), and a driving gear (62a) coupled to the driven gear (41a) is provided on the driving motor (62), so that when the driving gear (62a) is rotated by the driving motor (62), the driven gear (41a) and the rotary tube (41) are rotated.

[0065] And, when the control means (57) receives a signal from the rotation speed measuring means (61) and the cleaning member (40) rotates at a speed lower than a preset speed, as shown in Fig. 10, the control means (57) drives the driving motor (62) to force the cleaning member (40) to rotate.

[0066] At this time, the control means (57) is driven using electricity from the battery (58).

[0067] The ship exterior cleaning device configured in this manner generates electricity using a generator (59) and stores it in a battery (58) for use, so it has the advantage of being able to clean the exterior of a ship (1) without limitation by using the cleaning device.

[0068] In addition, the control means (57) receives a signal from the rotational speed measuring means (61) and, when the cleaning member (40) is rotated at a preset speed or lower, drives the driving motor (62) to force the cleaning member (40) to rotate, so that when the speed of the ship (1) is low and the cleaning member (40) rotates slowly, the driving motor (62) is used to rotate the cleaning member (40) at a high speed, thereby having the advantage of being able to clean the outer surface of the ship (1) cleanly regardless of the speed of the ship (1).

[0069] The mode for carrying out the invention has been described together with the best mode for carrying out the invention above.

[0070] The present invention relates to a ship exterior cleaning device. When a ship (1) is moving forward, a towing rope (30) is released to submerge the ship in water, and a cleaning member (40) is automatically raised and lowered in close contact with the ship's exterior surface (1) to clean contaminants attached to the ship's exterior surface (1). Therefore, the device has a simple structure and can perform cleaning while the ship (1) is in motion, so that it has industrial applicability.

Claims

1. A main body (10) including a support shaft (11) extending in the front-rear direction and front-rear support blocks (12, 13) provided at the front and rear ends of the support shaft (11), a plurality of support wheels (20) provided on one side surface of the front-rear support blocks (12, 13) so as to have a front-rear rotation center axis and being in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1), a towing rope (30) connected to the front support block (12), a cleaning member (40) rotatably coupled to the outside of the support shaft (11), front-rear wings (51, 52) provided to extend in the up-down direction on the front-rear support blocks (12, 13) so that the support wheels (20) and the cleaning member (40) are in close contact with the outer surface of the ship (1) by the flow of water generated while the ship (1) moves forward, and a direction fin (53) extending laterally from the other side surface of the front support block and being inclined in the up-down direction by angle adjusting means (54). The ship outer surface cleaning device is characterized by comprising the above.

2. According to claim 1, the cleaning member (40) is configured in a tubular shape extending in the front-rear direction and includes a rotating tube (41) rotatably coupled to the outside of the support shaft (11), and a brush (42) coupled to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41). The ship outer surface cleaning device is characterized by comprising the above.

3. According to claim 2, the cleaning member (40) further includes a spiral member (43) provided to extend in a spiral direction on the circumferential surface of the rotating tube (41) so that the cleaning member (40) is rotated by the flow of water. The ship outer surface cleaning device is characterized by comprising the above.

4. According to claim 1, a water depth measuring means (56) provided on the main body (10) for measuring the distance from the water surface to the main body (10), and a control means (57) for receiving a signal from the water depth measuring means (56) and controlling the operation of the angle adjusting means (54). The ship outer surface cleaning device is characterized by further comprising the above.

5. According to claim 1, the ship outer surface cleaning device further includes a fixed fin (55) provided to extend laterally on the other side surface of the rear support block (13).

6. According to claim 1, The upper surface of the above front support block (12) is provided with an extension bar (12a) extending upward. A ship exterior cleaning device characterized in that the above towing rope (30) is connected to the upper end of the extension bar (12a).

7. In paragraph 4, A generator (59) equipped in the above main body (10) and generating power using the flow of water, A storage battery (58) connected to the above generator (59) and storing electricity output from the generator (59), A rotation speed measuring means (61) provided in the above main body (10) and measuring the rotation speed of the above washing member (40), It further includes a driving motor (62) that is connected to the above washing member (40) and rotates the washing member (40) when turned on. A ship exterior cleaning device characterized in that the control means (57) receives a signal from the rotational speed measuring means (61) and, when the cleaning member (40) rotates below a preset speed, drives the driving motor (62) to force the cleaning member (40) to rotate.

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