Automatic mooring apparatus for watercraft

Abstract

A mooring apparatus (10) for automatic mooring and parking of a 10-70 feet watercraft (4) equipped with adhesive plates (62) having strong adhesion properties for pressing against both sides of the hull (6) of the watercraft. The mooring apparatus (10) has a floating u-shaped structure (20) comprising two horizontal beams (22) connected to a dock (2) and a holding unit (50) fixedly attached to both horizontal beams (22). The holding unit (50) holds a holding head (60) that can be rotated in all directions and on which the adhesive plate (62) is mounted. When the watercraft (4) is moored, the horizontal beams (22) are rotated around their longitudinal axis in the direction of the hull (6) to ensure closure, which occurs by the connection of the adhesive plate (62) and the surface of the hull (6). When sailing out, the process is reversed. The mooring apparatus (10) is equipped with an automatically operated locking mechanism (90) in which a compression spring (92) exerts the necessary turning force. An electric motor (96) is incorporated for automatic operation.

Description

[0001] Automatic mooring apparatus for watercraft

[0002] Field and objectives of the Invention

[0003] The invention is a mooring apparatus for the automatic mooring and safe parking of 10-70 feet long watercrafts that are preferably attached to a floating dock.

[0004] The invention is such an apparatus that is assembled of simple structural elements, and the use of which does not require subsequent conversion of watercrafts or installation of any additional elements on them.

[0005] Background of the Invention

[0006] Mooring watercrafts with ropes and fixing them in a parking space is a common solution in shipping practice. This is also the case for luxury watercrafts equipped with state-of-the-art technology - even though mooring with ropes is dangerous and requires the help of additional personnel.

[0007] Recognizing the need for a state-of-the-art, automatic, rope-free mooring technology for mooring watercrafts, several technical solutions have been developed. Such solutions are the following recently published inventions, which, however, despite their good basic ideas, can be characterized by having several practical drawbacks.

[0008] The invention disclosed in WO2017144927 (A1) entitled "Watercraft mooring apparatus, method and system" is a U-shaped device having motorized cylindrical locking mechanism on two stems. The watercraft is moored and held in a parking space with hook-like catching elements mounted on the watercraft, which are connected to the locking mechanism during mooring and parking. The mooring apparatus is motorized and equipped with a control panel as well as with associated ICT technology. The disadvantages of the described technical solution are the following: • accident-prone catching elements must be installed on the watercraft on permanent standby or temporarily fixed on the watercraft before mooring - both solutions have numerous problems

[0009] • the cost of manufacturing and transporting the mooring apparatus to a remote site is extremely high, therefore, there is little scope for their spread

[0010] • the mooring apparatus is designed to connect to fixed docks and is not suitable for connecting to commonly used dock fingers

[0011] • in the event of strong waves, the watercraft may be damaged by slamming into the hard structure of the mooring apparatus.

[0012] A technical solution for automatic mooring is the mooring apparatus described in W02020058734 (A1), "Automatic mooring apparatus for watercraft". The essence is that the independent, dock-finger-type structures are equipped with an automatically operating locking mechanism which clings to a catching element subsequently fixed to the side of the watercraft during mooring and parking. A further feature of the solution is that flexible tentacle elements are attached to the dock finger’s structural element in certain distances, the purpose of which is to guide and hold the watercraft in place by touching the hull. A mooring apparatus requires two dock finger elements, which are fixed perpendicular to the dock but parallel to each other. The mooring apparatus is equipped with ICT technologies. The main disadvantages of the solution of the invention are the following:

[0013] • the catching element must be retrofitted to the side of the watercraft, which the owners are reluctant to do in the case of valuable watercrafts; in the case of new watercrafts, the fitting may cause damage and the warranty may be voided

[0014] • the catching element attached to the hull may cause injury and accident to other watercrafts in foreign harbours

[0015] • the solution is not applicable to common dock finger systems

[0016] • manufacturing and delivery of the mooring apparatus to the site is costly.

[0017] There is an obvious need for an automatic mooring apparatus that solves the problems summarized above and cannot be characterized by the disadvantages listed. It is therefore the main object of the present invention to provide an automatic mooring apparatus which does not require any retrofitting of the watercraft or the installation of any additional means to secure mooring and keep it in parking position.

[0018] Another aim of the mooring apparatus is to be mass-produced, economical, easy to transport to remote harbours, and easy to install on site.

[0019] Further aim is to equip the mooring apparatus with state-of-the-art information and communication technology (ICT) to support the operation and monitor the mooring apparatus.

[0020] Summary of the Invention

[0021] The invention is a rope-free, automatically operating mooring apparatus (10) for mooring and parking a watercraft (4) with adhesive plates (62) having strong adhesion properties pressed against both sides of the hull (6).

[0022] The mooring apparatus (10) has a u-shape structure (20) floating on water and connected to the dock (2) with a holding unit (50) fixedly attached to both horizontal beams (22). The holding unit (50) holds a holding head (60) mounted on a ball (70) and rotatable in all directions, on which the adhesive plate (62) is mounted. When the watercraft (4) is moored, the horizontal beam (22) is rotated about its longitudinal axis towards the hull (6) to ensure locking, which is achieved by a strong connection between the adhesive plate (62) and the surface of the hull (6).

[0023] An automatic locking mechanism (90) is designed to rotate the horizontal beam (22) in which a compression spring (92) exerts the necessary turning force. A controlled electric motor (96) is installed for automatic operation.

[0024] Advantages of the Invention

[0025] The mooring apparatus

[0026] • allows automatic, rope-free mooring

[0027] • does not require transforming the watercraft or the hull, or retrofitting of any auxiliary equipment or adapters onto the watercraft

[0028] • is suitable for hulls of any geometry • consists of a small number of components that can be mass-produced and transported economically to harbours that are far from the manufacturing plant

[0029] • does not require complicated installation, assembly or commissioning, no large machines are required

[0030] • is suitable for common dock finger systems

[0031] • requires little space on the water surface

[0032] • allows secure mooring, no external assistance is required

[0033] • allows mooring with stern or bow

[0034] • is operated and monitored by modern ICT technology.

[0035] Brief description of the drawings

[0036] FIG 1 - A perspective view of the moored watercraft in mooring apparatus

[0037] FIG 2 - Design of the mooring apparatus

[0038] FIG 3 - Main structural units of the mooring apparatus

[0039] FIG 4 - Fixing the mooring apparatus to the dock

[0040] FIG 5 - Watercraft in the mooring apparatus in its standby and locked state

[0041] FIG 6 - Fixing the adhesive plate to the holding head

[0042] FIG 7 - Scheme of the rotational and linear movements of the holding head

[0043] FIG 8 - The mooring apparatus with the automatic locking mechanism

[0044] FIG 9 - Design of the automatic locking mechanism

[0045] FIG 10 - Linear movements of the holding head

[0046] FIG 11 - Swivel movements of the holding head

[0047] FIG 12 - Main structural elements and operation of the holding head

[0048] FIG 13 - The process of mooring the watercraft

[0049] FIG 14 - Installation options of the mooring apparatus

[0050] FIG 15 - Outline of the mooring apparatus' ITC system

[0051] Detailed description of the Invention

[0052] The mooring apparatus (10) is presented in detail with the help of drawings.

[0053] The present specification and the drawings show a possible implementation of the technical solution of the invention, which, however, does not limit the scope of the patent claim of the invention to the implementation presented here. FIG 1 depicts the parking of a watercraft (4) in the mooring apparatus (10) that is atached to a floating dock (2).

[0054] The watercraft (4) is held in the shown parking position by holding units (50) on both sides of the hull (6) which are provided with adhesive plates (62) which adhere strongly to the surface of the hull (6). The adhesion of the adhesive plate (62) applied is due to the physical properties of the material. Such a material is, for example, silicone.

[0055] The adhesive plates (62) transmit the forces resulting from the oscillatory movements of the watercraft (4) via the holding units (50) to the structure of the mooring apparatus (10), which are then damped by the built-in springs and ultimately by the dock (2).

[0056] Details of the design of the mooring apparatus (10) are shown in FIG 2.

[0057] The mooring apparatus (10) has a u-shape structure (20) whose main elements are made of tubes in the embodiment shown. The material of the tubes can be steel, carbon fiber composite or other statically suitable material.

[0058] The horizontal beams (22) and the connecting tube element (28) forming the u-shape structure (20) are connected to the corner units (30). The corner units (30) are fixed to the dock’s (2) structure by a fixing rod (32). The horizontal beam (22) is connected to the corner unit (30) in a rotatable manner about its longitudinal axis.

[0059] A holding unit (50) is mounted on both horizontal beams (22) with a fixed connection, so that when the horizontal beam (22) is rotated around its longitudinal axis, the holding unit (50) rotates simultaneously.

[0060] A diverting sheet (40) is mounted on the horizontal beams (22) to divert the watercraft (4) during docking and parking. The tube structural elements are covered with a flexible soft cover (44) to cushion any possible impacts. An end stop (42) is placed to prevent impact with the connecting tube element (28). The material used to cushion impacts is, for example, silicone. An entry stool (46) is provided for entry into the watercraft (4), which in the present solution is also equipped with a control panel (110).

[0061] FIG 3 shows the main structural units of the mooring apparatus (10), The structural units can be manufactured independently, in series, easily transported and assembled at the mooring site to fit the dimensions of the given watercraft (4).

[0062] One element of the horizontal beam (22) is the swivel tube (24) which is clamped in the enclosing tube element (26) for static and mechanical reasons. In the clamping section, the connection between the swivel tube (24) and the enclosing tube element (26) is ensured by sliding rings (34) installed at a given distance from each other.

[0063] The swivel tube (24) and the enclosing tube element (26) are fixed to the corner unit (30). An automatic locking mechanism (90), connected to the corner unit (30), is provided for the rotation of the swivel tube (24), described below.

[0064] The corner units (30) are connected by a connecting tube element (28) to form a u- shape structure (20). The entry stool (46) is fitted on the connecting tube element (28). The corner units (30) are attached to the dock (2) by a fixing rod (32).

[0065] The assembled holding units (50) are fixedly attached to the swivel tube (24), which can be, for example, welded or screwed.

[0066] FIG 4 schematically shows the fixing of the mooring apparatus (10) to the dock (2). Fixing is generally made to the closed section at the edge of the dock (2) by means of a fixing assembly (36) formed at the end of the fixing rod (34). Taking into account that the height of the mooring apparatus (10) changes due to changes in the water level, the other end of the fixing rod (32) is mounted to the corner unit (30) so that it can rotate around a horizontal axis.

[0067] FIG 5 shows a view of a watercraft (4) in the mooring apparatus (10) in the standby and locked state. In the standby state, the holding unit (50) is not turned towards the hull (6), its axis being nearly vertical. In this case, the watercraft (4) can move freely between the horizontal beams (22). In the locked state, the holding unit (50) is turned towards the watercraft (4) and the adhesive plate (62) on the holding head (60) is attached to the surface of the hull (6). The watercraft (4) is then in a fixed parking position between the horizontal beams (22).

[0068] FIG 6 shows the placement of the adhesive plate (62) on the holding head (60), which is fixed to the front of the housing (72) by gluing. On the longitudinal side of the adhesive plate (62) at the bottom and at the top, parallel to each other, a hard strip (64) is mounted with a spring 1-s (66), which normally protrudes from the plane of the adhesive plate (62) (part A). When the hull (6) touches the hard strip (64) it is pressed into the plane of the adhesive plate (62) (part B).

[0069] The hard strips (64) protect the adhesive plate (62) from possible greater stress, impact or friction, which may occur, for example, during mooring.

[0070] The adhesive plate (62) is usually 15 cm x 30 cm in size, but can vary considerably. It must always be determined by taking into account the characteristics of the watercraft (4). It is made of a highly adhesive material, such as special silicone.

[0071] FIG 7 is an illustration of the spatial movements of the holding head (60).

[0072] The watercraft (6) moored in the mooring apparatus (10) moves in all directions of space due to waves, wind and other weather effects, it performs so-called oscillatory movements. Considering that the adhesive plate (62) adheres to a given surface of the hull (6), the presented holding head (60) also realizes all spatial movements.

[0073] The rotation and resetting of the entire holding unit (50) towards the hull (6) is done by rotating the horizontal beam (22) about its axis. This rotation is performed by the automatic locking mechanism (90) shown in FIG 8-9.

[0074] The linear movements within the holding unit (50) that change the position of the holding head (60) are the movement of the telescopic leg (52) in the direction of axis B and the movement of the holding head (60) in the direction of axis C. The spatial rotations of the holding head (60) about a pivot point P2 are the rotations about axes B, C, D. In practice, combinations of linear movements and rotations occur. The basic cases of the holding head (60) movements are schematically shown in the drawings FIG 10-11.

[0075] FIG 8 - 9 present the automatic locking mechanism (90). FIG 8 shows the front view of the mooring apparatus (10) with the automatic locking mechanism (90) in standby and locked states.

[0076] In the standby state of the automatic locking mechanism (90), the holding unit (50) mounted on the horizontal beam (22) and the holding head (60) fixed on the telescopic leg (52) are in their basic positions. In the locked state, the holding unit (50) is rotated towards the hull (6) and the holding head (60) rotates in line with the plane of the hull (6) to adhere the adhesive plate (62) to the surface of the hull (6).

[0077] FIG 9 illustrates the details of the automatic locking mechanism (90).

[0078] In the automatic locking mechanism (90), a compression spring (92) is installed for rotating the horizontal beam (22) in the direction of the hull (6), which is connected to the horizontal beam (22) by a rotating arm (94). The activation of the compression spring (92) and the rotation of the horizontal beam (22) by the rotating arm (94) are enabled by an electric motor (96). The electric motor (96) allows the free end of the retraction arm (102) fixed to the horizontal beam (22) to move downwards by rotating the threaded shaft (98) connected to it, thus moving the screw element (100) thereon downwards. At this time, the released compression spring (92) exerts a force of a suitable magnitude to rotate the horizontal beam (22) and press the holding head (60) against the surface of the hull (6). The adhesive plate (62) adheres to the surface of the hull (6), creating a “locked” state of the mechanism and holds the watercraft (4) in position.

[0079] The automatic locking mechanism (90) is brought into standby mode by rotating the electric motor (96) in the opposite direction. At this point, the screw element (100) moves the free end of the retraction arm (102) upwards, causing the horizontal beam (22) to be turned back and the compression spring (92) to be compressed by the rotating arm (94). The holding head (60) moves away from the surface of the hull (6) and the watercraft (4) can move freely. Automatic operation is described below.

[0080] In the event of a power failure, the threaded shaft (98) can be manually rotated in the desired direction. To access it, the cover element (104) must be removed.

[0081] FIG 10 - 11 are schematic drawings of the linear and rotary movements of the holding head.

[0082] FIG 10 shows the linear movements of the holding head (60). Movements along axis B (part A) are made possible by spring 2 (54) placed in the telescopic leg (52). In the fixed state of the watercraft (4), the holding head (60) follows the hull’s (6) distancing from and approaching towards the horizontal beams (22) which cause the telescopic leg (52) to extend and compress.

[0083] The holding head (60) performs linear movements along axis C which also result from the movements of the watercraft (4).

[0084] FIG 12 schematically shows the main directions of rotation of the holding head (60) around a theoretical center point (P2). In reality, any combination of the rotations A, B, C can occur.

[0085] All these movements are made possible by the holding unit (50) and holding head (60) according to the invention.

[0086] FIG 12 shows the main structural elements and operation of the holding head (60).

[0087] The holding head (60) is attached to the telescopic leg (52) by a fixing element (68). The fixing element (68) holds a ball (70) at a theoretical center (P2) on which a housing (72) is mounted, with allowed linear movement and rotation. A slot (74) is cut out in the housing (72) for its free movement around of the fixing element (68).

[0088] To limit the linear movements (axis C) of the housing (72), horizontal springs (76) are installed on both sides of the ball (70), one end of which is hooked to the support element (80) and the other end to the sliding disc (78). The support element (80) is designed to fit the ball (70) and can rotate freely on it. The sliding disc (78) is fixed to the housing (72) and slides on the support rod (82) under the influence of the springs (76).

[0089] To limit the rotational movements of the housing (72), vertical springs (84) are installed, one end of which is connected to the housing (72) and the other end to the ball (70).

[0090] FIG 13 shows the process of mooring and sailing out of the watercraft (4). In figure P1-P2, the watercraft (4) approaches the dock (2) and then sails into the mooring apparatus (10) between the horizontal beams (22). The distance is continuously measured by the laser rangefinder (118) built into the control panel (110) and transmitted to the involved / designated parties via a communication module (112).

[0091] Upon reaching parking position P3, the watercraft (4) at a predetermined distance from the dock (2) the motor control (114) receives a signal to start the electric motor (96). The operation of the electric motor (96) results in the previously described locking function of the automatic locking mechanism (90).

[0092] The secured position is shown in Figure P4. At this position, the adhesive plates (62) adhere to the hull (6) and hold the watercraft (4) in position.

[0093] When sailing out, a human command sent to the motor control (114) can be used to start the electric motor (96), which rotates in the opposite direction, resulting in the previously described standby function of the automatic locking mechanism (90). The watercraft (4) can then sail out freely from the mooring apparatus (10).

[0094] FIG 14 shows installation options for the mooring apparatus (10). Installation can be performed to the dock (2) formed with a dock-finger (part A), as well as several mooring apparatuses (10) arranged side by side to the longitudinal floating dock (2) (part B).

[0095] The watercraft (4) can be moored and parked in the mooring apparatus (10) either with stem reverse in or with bow forward. These options are shown in Figures C-D.

[0096] FIG 15 is an outline of the mooring apparatus’ ITC system. A motor control (114) is provided for the electric motor (96) built into the automatic locking mechanism (90) mounted on the mooring apparatus (10) and is located in a control panel (110). The control panel (110) also contains a laser rangefinder (118) for measuring the distance of the watercraft (4), a camera (116) and a communication module (112).

[0097] The operator or other authorized personnel can access the control panel (110) via the Internet or radio waves from a suitable operating means (120). The operating means (120) can be an On-Board-Unit OBU (122) installed on the watercraft (4), a smart phone (124), a remote control (126), a tablet (128) or another suitable device.

[0098] The control panel (110) is also connected to the harbour central server (130) so that the harbour management can monitor the current status of the mooring apparatus (10), collect data on it and, if necessary, intervene in its operation. For example, intervention may be the imposition of an official ban on sailing out in the event of a major storm.

[0099] List of references

[0100] 2 - dock

[0101] 4 - watercraft

[0102] 6 - hull

[0103] 10 - mooring apparatus

[0104] 20 - u-shape structure

[0105] 22 - horizontal beam

[0106] 24 - swivel tube

[0107] 26 - enclosing tube

[0108] 28 - connecting tube element

[0109] 30 - corner unit

[0110] 32 - fixing rod

[0111] 34 - sliding ring

[0112] 36 - fixing assembly

[0113] 40 - diverting sheet

[0114] 42 - end stop

[0115] 44 - flexible soft cover

[0116] 46 - entry stool

[0117] 50 - holding unit

[0118] 52 - telescopic leg

[0119] 54 - spring 2

[0120] 60 - holding head

[0121] 62 - adhesive plate

[0122] 64 - hard strip

[0123] 66 - spring 1

[0124] 68 - fixing element

[0125] 70 - ball

[0126] 72 - housing - slot - horizontal spring - sliding disc - support element - support rod - vertical spring - automatic locking mechanism - compression spring - rotating arm - electric motor (M) - threaded shaft - screw element - retraction arm - cover element - control panel - communication module - motor control - camera - laser rangefinder - operating means - onboard control unit (OBU) - smart phone - remote control 8 - tablet 0 - harbour central server

Claims

Claims1. A mooring apparatus (10) comprising a u-shape structure (20) fixed to the dock (2) and floating on the water, wherein each horizontal beam (22) is provided with a holding unit (50) and an automatic locking mechanism (90) for catching and securing a watercraft (4) during mooring and parking, characterized in that each holding unit (50) has a telescopic leg (52) fixed to a respective horizontal beam (22), a holding head (60) pivotably joined to the other end of the telescopic leg (52) wherein the holding head (60) comprises an adhesive plate (62) being designed to be pressed onto side of hull (6) for holding the watercraft (4) in a parking position and can be removed from there upon sailing out.

2. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said u-shape structure (20) consists of hermetically sealed tubes which are connected to the dock (2) with a corner unit (30) fixed by a fixing assembly (36) so that the horizontal beam (22) is designed to rotate around its longitudinal axis (axis A).

3. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 2, characterized in that said horizontal beam (22) comprises of a swivel tube (24) element placed in an enclosing tube (26) element fixed to a corner unit (30), the rotation in between being ensured by sliding rings (34) installed in sections.

4. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said holding unit (50) is fixed to the horizontal beam (22), perpendicular to its axis (axis A) (axis B), and the rotation in the direction of the hull (6) occurs together with the rotation of the horizontal beam (22).

5. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said holding head (60) being mounted on the telescopic leg (52) for rotation in all directions around a theoretical point (P2) and for linear movement in a direction corresponding to its longitudinal axis (axis C).

6. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said holding head (60) has a structure comprising a housing (72) rotatably and linearmovably connected to a ball (70) element fixed to the telescopic leg (52) by a fixing element (68), to which the adhesive plate (62) is attached.

7. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 6, characterized in that said housing (72) being provided with horizontal springs (76) to limit axial movements relative to the ball (70), one end of which is fixed to a support element (80) that fits the ball (70) and can rotate thereon, and the other end is fixed to a sliding disc (78) fixed to the housing (72).

8. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 6, characterized in that said housing (72) being provided with vertical springs (84) to limit rotation around the ball (70), one end of which is fixed to the ball (70) and the other end is fixed to the housing (72).

9. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said adhesive plate (62) has hard strips (64) arranged on two longitudinal edges, which can be pressed into the plane of the adhesive plate (62).

10. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said adhesive plate (62) is made of highly adhesive silicone.

11. The mooring apparatus (10) of claim 1 , characterized in that said automatic locking mechanism (90) for turning the holding unit (50) towards the watercraft (4) and thereby for the adhesion of the adhesive plate (62) to the hull (6) includes a compression spring (92) which is connected to the horizontal beam (22) by a rotating arm (84), for turning in the opposite direction a threaded shaft (98) rotated by an electric motor (96) is incorporated on which a screw element (100) moves the retraction arm (102) fixed to the horizontal beam (22) and thereby sets the holding unit (50) to its stendby position.

12. Mooring apparatus (10) according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that said mooring apparatus (10) being equipped with a control panel (110) in which the electric motor (96) of the automatic locking mechanism (90) can be remotely controlled via a communication module (112).

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