Gyroscopic stabilizer device for floating crafts

Abstract

Gyroscopic stabilizing device (10, 10) for floating crafts, comprising at least one flywheel group (11, 11 ) provided with at least one rotor (12, 12a, 12b) connected integrally to a shaft (13, 13a, 13b) set in rotation by a motor (28a, 28b), in which such flywheel group (11, 11 ) is associated with a braking system (14) provided with at least one braking disc (15) integral with such shaft (13, 13a, 13b) and comprising a magnetorheological fluid controllable by means of at least one electromagnetic device (17).

Description

[0001] "GYROSCOPIC STABILIZER DEVICE FOR FLOATING CRAFTS"

[0002] FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0003] This invention relates to a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts, such as vessels, but also offshore platforms or floating wind towers, for the elimination or abatement of oscillation phenomena of the floating medium due to wave motion, currents, winds or oscillatory phenomena, even of variable frequency.

[0004] BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0005] Reducing the stresses imparted to boats and floating crafts in general of all types and tonnages by wave motion and other sources of kinetic disturbance is a problem of fundamental importance in navigation.

[0006] The main types of oscillation to which vessels are subjected are: roll, i.e., the motion of rotation, even partial, about the longitudinal axis; pitch, i.e., the rotation, even partial, about the transversal axis; heave, i.e., the translation in the vertical direction of the vessel's center of gravity; yaw, i.e., rotation about the vertical axis; and translations in transversal and longitudinal directions. Added to these oscillations are other motions that do not significantly impact the operation of the vessel. These oscillations cause stresses on floating structures that are periodic in nature, with frequencies that vary depending on the conditions of the sea and on the state of the floating craft (moving or stationary).

[0007] The most problematic oscillation is generally considered to be roll, while the least problematic is considered to be yaw; however, depending on sailing / stationing conditions and needs this scale of problematics may change. In any case, it is important to remember that in reality the above listed oscillations almost always occur in simultaneous combination with each other, which complicates the possibilities of neutralizing or reducing them. The negative consequences of these stresses are manifold, and include capsizing of the vessel, damage to the hull and structures, unplanned displacement or loss of cargo, loss of forward speed and greatly increased consumption of fuel, disruption of the normal operation of machinery and equipment on board, flooding of decks, seasickness for passengers, and for military vessels disruption in targeting systems, or problems with takeoff and landing operations of aircrafts. Similar considerations can be made for constructions of any kind that involve operation on liquid surfaces and would benefit from the use of a gyroscopic stabilizer.

[0008] It is therefore apparent that it is desirable, and in some cases necessary, to identify technical solutions able to reduce, abate or eliminate the above-mentioned motions of floating objects resulting from external stresses.

[0009] Specifically, in the current state of the art there are several devices and methods developed to address the need to stabilize said crafts. The main ones include (what is expressed hereafter refers to vessels, but the expert in the field will understand that it can be applied, with appropriate adaptations, to any floating craft):

[0010] - hydrodynamic stabilizers (or wings, or fins, or stabilizing appendices), i.e., hydrodynamic appendices of the hull that by interacting with the water provide the vessel with relative stability; these devices are divided in turn into fixed, or passive, wings (or fins, or appendices) and movable, or active, wings (or fins, or appendices). The former are characterized by being an integral part of the hull, with no possibility of varying its inclination and / or amount of surface area exposed to the interaction with water, while the latter are characterized by pneumatic, hydraulic, or electric systems that change the inclination and / or amount of the surface area exposed to interaction with water, up to, at the limit, the complete retraction within the hull. These devices are able to give appreciable stabilization to major hull oscillations, but they have a number of problems: their effectiveness is greater when the vessel is in motion, while it is considerably reduced in the case of a stationary vessel (at anchor, roadstead or dock); they are to all intents and purposes hydrodynamic brakes, and thus introduce fuel consumption aggravations for the hulls that mount them and operate them, as well as limitations to the vessel's maneuverability and to its performances (maximum speed, acceleration); they present considerable encumbrances below the waterline, sometimes configuring even hazards for any swimmers and / or other vessels operating in the vicinity;

[0011] - weight-displacement stabilizers (or anti- roll tanks), or systems operating a rapid and timely displacement of conspicuous masses from the ship's center of gravity to peripheral areas of the hull. These systems operate by moving liquid masses (typically seawater) to different areas of the hull, through appropriate systems of conduits and tanks, typically located on the sides to contrast mainly rolling phenomena. These systems also exist in passive versions, in which liquid placed in tanks located on the sides of the hull and connected through dedicated conduits (with the system filled with either water or air) is left partially free to move according to the rolling motion of the hull, and active versions, in which pumps are inserted into the system to move the liquid according to the stresses imparted to the hull by the wave motion. This approach is relatively effective when the wave perturbations are regular, but loses performance if the perturbations are irregular and / or if the vessel is in motion, and it's being abandoned;

[0012] - gyroscopic stabilizers (or gyrostabilizers), which are systems based on appropriately sized gyroscopes whose moment of inertia opposes changes in the vessel's inclination caused by wave motion stresses. The operation of the gyroscopic stabilizer is based on the flywheel, that is, on a rotor mounted on an axis and placed in rotation with respect to that axis, by means of a motor attached to the same axis. The rotating mass thus created generates a moment of inertia I, having a direction perpendicular to the axis of rotation, which will tend to keep both the direction and the intensity of the moment of inertia unchanged, and the device is fixed inside a gimbaled cradle in turn attached to the hull of the boat. The kinetic energy stored thanks to the rotation of the flywheel opposes external forces that attempt to disrupt this rotational motion, such as the oscillatory motions imparted by waves to the hull and transmitted by them to the gyroscope.

[0013] It is evident from the above that the stabilizing effectiveness of a gyroscopic system depends essentially on its moment of inertia, which in turn is a function of rotor mass and rotor rotational speed squared. The technician in the field will therefore understand how it is advantageous to pursue strategies of technical improvement of gyroscopic stabilizers that will allow to obtain systems with higher rotational speeds than the present ones, with the same mass used, or possibly even reducing it. A reduction in rotor mass is also desirable to reduce both the total weight of the stabilizer, thereby reducing both the fuel consumption of the vessel and the response time of the device with respect to changed sea conditions, the need for abrupt maneuvers, and the rapidity of effective regime reaching from system startup.

[0014] In addition to the flywheel assembly (which includes the rotor, the related drive shaft and a motor for the actuation of the rotor assembly, typically electric), a typical current gyroscopic stabilizer includes additional components necessary for the proper functioning of the device, including a pair of bearings, located at the extremes of the shaft of the rotor assembly, a cooling system that removes heat from the bearings to prevent them from seizing, a support frame for the flywheel assembly the bearings and the cooling system for them, an enclosure for the protection of the various mechanical parts, an active control system for the positioning of the rotation axis of the flywheel assembly that includes a system for measuring the type and intensity of wave motion and a system of actuators that changes the orientation of the flywheel axis according to data from the aforementioned measurement system, and finally a support frame and component housing.

[0015] Some gyroscopic stabilizers also provide for the rotor assembly and other rotating components (motor, bearings) to be isolated from the outside and placed under vacuum, in order to reduce as much as possible the energy loss due to friction of the rotating parts with air. In some technical solutions known to the state of the art of flywheels, the bearings located at the extremes of the axis of rotation are electromagnetic bearings, i.e., without physical contact with the rotor axis, so as to eliminate the coefficient of friction between the axis and the support of the itself, with this further minimizing the energy losses of the system due to rotation. Current gyroscopic stabilizers, if properly designed, manufactured and installed, provide vessels with highly effective roll damping when the vessel is stationary (in roadstead, at dock or at anchor) and / or in conditions of highly regular wave motion; a fairly small occupied volume, typically confined to the engine room or to areas of the vessel not used for passage of people; and limited noise emissions, since the devices are typically encapsulated in a protective cage that limits the noise of the system.

[0016] In contrast to these advantages, they present a number of problems still not fully resolved: A) long time needed from the switching on of the device to its operation (from 30 minutes to a few hours for the largest devices), due to the mass, usually conspicuous (hundreds to thousands of kilograms), of the used rotor discs, resulting in inertia that needs to be overcome; B) high weight of the device (up to several tons), leading to increased fuel consumption of the vessel; C) high electrical consumption, resulting from the motor that must keep the flywheel spinning at full speed, which leads to rapid discharge of the batteries when the demand for stabilization is continuous; D) almost total inability to stabilize the vessel when it is in active navigation (i.e., in motion), due to the high irregularity of the frequency of the waves that encounter the hull during navigation; E) generation of a high torque localized at the point of installation of the device, which becomes a point of concentration of load due not only to the intrinsic mass of the device but also to the force generated by it, which leads to difficulties in maneuvering (increased inertia of the vessel); F) high heating of the bearings located at the extremes of the flywheel rotor axis; this problem is currently partially dealt with thanks to a liquid cooling system of the bearings themselves, generally based on the circulation of water taken directly from navigation waters; however, said system is inadequate to cool flywheel systems with rotational speeds above 12 000 rpm, beyond which the heating becomes excessive; for this reason, too, current gyroscopic stabilizers do not exceed that number of revolutions. Besides the problems highlighted above, the gyroscopic stabilizers are currently the bestperforming stabilization systems available.

[0017] In some cases, hydrodynamic stabilizers and gyro stabilizers are combined, so that stabilization can be achieved while the vessel is either stationary (with the gyro stabilizers) or in motion (with the hydrodynamic ones).

[0018] Therefore, there is a need to develop a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts that can overcome at least one of the mentioned drawbacks of the available devices.

[0019] In particular, one purpose of the present invention is to make a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts that is simple to make, efficient and quick both to start and to adapt to varying waves characteristics, even with floating crafts in motion and with non-uniform or variable waves.

[0020] A further purpose of the present finding is to realize a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts that is lightweight, thus does not result in a high increase in inertia of the vessel, that is compact and has a lower power consumption, than currently known gyroscopic stabilizing devices.

[0021] A further purpose of the present invention is to realize a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts characterized by reduced weight, which will help avoiding the generation of high torques at the point of installation, with the associated overheating of the bearings of the moving parts, and that is thus generally more efficient than known gyroscopic stabilizing devices for floating crafts.

[0022] A further purpose of the present invention is to make a floating craft equipped with an effective gyro-stabilizing device.

[0023] In order to overcome the drawbacks of the known technique and to achieve these and further purposes and advantages, the Applicant has studied, experimented with, and realized the present invention.

[0024] SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0025] The present invention is expressed and characterized in the independent claims. The dependent claims set forth other features of the present finding or variants of the main solution idea.

[0026] In accordance with the aforementioned purposes, a gyroscopic stabilizing device (also termed, in the following, gyrostabilizer) for floating crafts according to the present invention includes at least one flywheel assembly comprising at least one rotor solidly connected to a shaft placed in rotation by a motor.

[0027] According to one aspect of the invention, said flywheel assembly is associated with a braking system provided with at least one brake disc integral with said shaft and comprising a magnetorheological fluid controllable by at least one electromagnetic device.

[0028] For example, said brake disc may be located in at least one chamber in which said magnetorheological fluid is contained.

[0029] According to a further aspect of the invention, said flywheel assembly comprises at least one rotor, or at least two rotors aligned along a rotational axis.

[0030] Each of said rotors is driven by its own motor, independently from the drive of the other rotor.

[0031] According to a further aspect of the invention, said gyrostabilizer comprises a housing possibly divided into several parts within of which said at least one chamber is obtained.

[0032] According to a further aspect of the invention, said braking system includes a magnetorheological fluid cooling system.

[0033] According to a further aspect of the invention, said cooling system is based on a liquid, which is recovered to provide hot water to users or for technical services of the floating craft.

[0034] According to a further aspect of the invention, said braking system includes a lowered expansion and mixing region provided with elastic membranes, configured to allow the magnetorheological fluid to have thermal expansion without exerting excessive pressure on the other components of the braking system.

[0035] The presence of the magnetorheological fluid, which can be operated by varying the inlet current of the electromagnetic device placed particularly in proximity of the brake disc and / or of the flywheel assembly rotation shaft, allows to modulate the braking effect exerted by the magnetorheological fluid, enabling slow down the flywheel assembly, and in case of need even to stop it, in a very short time, potentially in the order of a few seconds, consistent with the strength mechanics of the mechanisms involved. The present solution also makes it possible to generate, during magnetorheological braking operations, high amounts of heat, which can be exploited, by means of appropriate cooling systems, to generate hot water usable for normal boat operations. Said hot water generation can also be obtained from the heat generated by the bearings of the flywheel assembly, adding further functionality to the gyroscopic stabilization device that is the subject of this application. It is here noted that currently available stabilizing gyroscopes for nautical use do not include technical solutions capable of producing hot water usable by the users or services of the boat.

[0036] The here described gyrostabilizer, due to its innovative overall structure, significantly reduces the time required to generate the moment of inertia of the flywheel assembly, and thus reduces the time required to generate the effective stabilization effect. In addition, by reducing the overall mass of the flywheel assembly, the here described gyrostabilizer lowers the weight of the device described herein as a whole, contributing to the reduction of known device problems related to the vessel's high fuel consumption and high consumption of batteries.

[0037] The present invention, through the innovation represented by the use of magnetorheological fluids to rapidly brake the motion of the flywheel assembly, allows elimination or abatement of a wide range of hull oscillation frequencies, much greater than that allowed by current gyroscopic stabilization technologies, thereby enabling at least partial stabilization of a vessel even in navigation, as well as i stationary conditions. The present solution further enables the flywheel assembly, in the version comprising at least two rotors, alone or in combination with other gyro-stabilizing devices, and thanks to the possibility of interfacing it with additional gyro-stabilizing devices and / or with sources of data relating to the periodic stresses to which the vessel is subjected, to self-adapt its operation in order to dynamically modify its action in real time according to the punctual conditions of the sea.

[0038] The present invention also provides for the possibility, in versions in which the flywheel assembly comprises at least two independent rotors, of realizing the at least two rotors in different materials, thus obtaining, for example, two rotors having different masses in a single flywheel assembly, capable of generating different moments of inertia during the operations of the gyrostabilizer herein described. This possibility leads to a further improved ability to abate / eliminate roll caused by wave motion of varying frequency. Some examples of materials that can be used to make the rotors, illustrative and not exhaustive of the available possibilities, include carbon fibers, ceramic fibers, engineering polymers, light or ultralight alloys, various types of carbon steel or stainless steel, and composite materials of various types. The expert in the field will understand how in this case it is therefore possible to produce flywheel assemblies in which at least one of the at least two independent rotors, by a significant but not exhaustive example, is made of steel, while a second of the at least two independent rotors is made instead of carbon fibers, fn this way, it will be possible to operate a gyrostabilizer with the at least two independent rotors rotating at the same speed but generating two different moments of inertia, thus achieving high stabilization performance, low activation times of the stabilization, increased boat maneuverability, and reduced fuel and electricity consumption.

[0039] Another possibility offered by the flywheel assembly comprising at least two rotors is that they are made of the same material but have different dimensions, thereby allowing (by way of a non-limiting example) different moments of inertia to be obtained at the same rotational speed. Again, in a non-limiting example, with this approach it will be possible to couple a rotor of limited size, and thus limited mass, with one of larger size, and thus of greater mass. The smaller size rotor will be able to be operated at high speeds in a relatively short time, thereby generating a stabilizing effect of the gyroscopic device in a short time, while the larger size rotor will gradually go on to reinforce the stabilizing effect with longer times, but intervening on an already partially stabilized system.

[0040] A further advantage of the present invention, in the version with a flywheel assembly comprising at least two independent rotors, is that in the event of malfunction of one of the two rotor assemblies, the rotor(s) still functioning can still perform their stabilization function, allowing the craft to enjoy gyroscopic, albeit limited, stabilization performance until the artifact is repaired.

[0041] In accordance with a further aspect, the gyro-stabilizing device according to the embodiments described herein may include an artificial intelligence system to control at least some of its functions, possibly configured to receive and process, possibly in real time, data from sources external to said gyro-stabilizing device.

[0042] A further object of the invention is a craft comprising an effective gyroscopic stabilizing device.

[0043] DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0044] These and other aspects, features and advantages of the present invention will appear clear from the following description of embodiment forms, provided by way of not limiting examples, with reference to the attached drawings in which:

[0045] - fig. 1 is a schematic view of a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts according to an embodiment form of the invention;

[0046] - fig. 2 is a schematic view of part of a gyroscopic stabilizing device for floating crafts according to a further embodiment form of the invention.

[0047] It should be noted that in the present description the used phraseology and terminology, as well as the figures in the accompanying drawings, have the sole function of illustrating and better explaining the present invention, with the purpose of exemplifying, and not limiting, the invention itself, the scope of the sought for protection being defined by the claims.

[0048] For ease of understanding, identical reference numerals have been used, where possible, to identify identical common elements in the figures. It should be understood that elements and features of one embodiment may be conveniently combined or incorporated into other embodiments without further specifications.

[0049] DESCRIPTION OF SOME EMBODIMENTS

[0050] With reference to the attached drawings, see in particular figs. 1 and 2, a gyroscopic stabilizing device 10 according to embodiments described herein comprises at least one flywheel assembly 11 provided with at least one rotor 12 integrally connected to a shaft 13 rotated by a motor, in particular around a Z-axis.

[0051] In some embodiments, described using fig. 1, the aforementioned flywheel group 11 may comprise a single rotor 12. In other embodiments, described using fig. 2, the aforementioned flywheel group 11 may comprise at least two rotors 12a, 12b. It is clear that parts common to the embodiments described herein may be applied with reference to the possible embodiments referred to in figs. 1 and 2.

[0052] In embodiments, the aforementioned flywheel group 11 is associated with a braking system 14 provided with at least one braking disk 15 integrated with said shaft 13 and comprising a magnetorheological fluid that can be activated by an electromagnetic device 17.

[0053] In possible embodiments, the aforementioned at least one braking disk 15 may be positioned in at least one chamber 16 in which the aforementioned magnetorheological fluid is contained.

[0054] In embodiments, said shaft 13 is rigidly connected to said braking disc 15. Said gyroscopic stabilizing device 10 comprises a containment casing 18, such as for example an external case of cylindrical shape or other. Said casing 18 can be divided into several parts 19, 20, 21, 22, for example four, so as to have a modular and easily assembled structure. Said parts 19, 20, 21, 22 are connected by means of removable fixing elements 23, such as screws or the like. The casing 18 houses a plurality of windings 24 of said electromagnetic device 17, for example five, for example all operated with the same power source to homogenize the applied magnetic field, used to activate the magnetorheological fluid 25, or even operated separately by means of differential and selective power supply. Said windings 24 can be for example coaxial.

[0055] In embodiments, said shaft 13 can be rotated with respect to said casing 18 by means of a series of bearings 25, mechanical or electromagnetic ones.

[0056] In embodiments, said chamber 16 in which the magnetorheological fluid can be contained is substantially made in axial cavities made between said braking disc 15 and said casing 18.

[0057] In embodiments, said braking disc 15 has an annular edge 31 at a greater height than the rest of the disc and configured to be positioned in an annular section 16' of the chamber 16 containing the magnetorheological fluid closer to said windings 24. This allows greater effectiveness of the braking action of the braking system 14. Said braking disc 15 provided with said annular edge 31 therefore takes on a substantially “H” shape in section, as illustrated in fig. 1.

[0058] In embodiments, said braking system 14 includes a cooling system 26 for the magnetorheological fluid, for example a liquid cooling system, such as water, ethylene glycol or other suitable fluid. The liquid flowing out of said cooling system 26 may be used on board the vessel to produce hot water or otherwise.

[0059] In embodiments, said braking system 14 comprises a lowered expansion and mixing region 27a (fig. 1) provided with a set of elastic membranes 27, configured to allow the magnetorheological fluid to have thermal expansion without exerting excessive pressure on other components of the braking system 14. Such low expansion and mixing region 27a is part of the chamber 16. In particular, therefore, said elastic membranes 27 can be placed at the base of the chamber 16 containing the magnetorheological fluid.

[0060] In some embodiments, the aforementioned shaft 13 partially protrudes from said casing 18 and is rigidly connected to the rotor 12.

[0061] In the embodiment of fig. 2 of the gyroscopic stabilizing device 10’, the flywheel assembly 11 ’ comprises two rotors 12a, 12b, each integrated with its own shaft 13a, 13b associated with a rotation motor 28a, 28b, for example an electric motor. Said rotors 12a and 12b can be rotated around a Z axis by said motors 28a, 28b independently of each other. Preferably, the shafts 13a and 13b of said rotors 12a and 12b are coaxial.

[0062] In embodiments, the aforementioned flywheel assembly 11 ’ is associated with a braking system 14 such as the one illustrated in fig. I, therefore it is possible to integrally connect to each of said shafts 13a, 13b at least one respective braking system 14.

[0063] Said shafts 13a, 13b are supported by bearings 25a and 25b. The latter two bearings allow the rotation of the shafts 13a, 13b with respect to a support frame 29, which in particular supports said flywheel assembly 11 ’.

[0064] In embodiments, the aforementioned gyroscopic stabilizing device 10’ includes cooling systems 26a, 26b, for example liquid, supported by said support frame 29. A casing 30 may be provided, which encloses the flywheel group 11 ’ and the various components of the gyroscopic stabilizing device 10’, in order to protect it from external dust and to confine the moving parts inside the casing 30 itself in the event of malfunctions and possibly to create a vacuum inside the device. The gyroscopic stabilizing device 10’ may be completed by an active positioning control system of the rotation axis of the flywheel group 11 ’.

[0065] The braking actuation system based on magnetorheological fluids is activated by means of magnetic fields of variable or constant intensity generated by the electromagnetic device 17 of fig. 1, operating on limited parts of the artifact containing the magnetorheological fluid or on larger parts, and / or with magnetic fields of different intensity and continuity in different parts of the artifact. In any case, the advantage deriving from the use of a magnetorheological fluid to perform rapid and controlled braking of a moving rotor appears evident, especially considering the very rapid viscosity variation times of magnetorheological fluids subjected to magnetic fields, generally included in the order of a few milliseconds or tens of milliseconds. The viscosity variations obtainable with the actuation of the magnetic field can reach an increase of three orders of magnitude, thereby ensuring extremely important and rapid braking effects of the walls with which the magnetorheological fluid is in contact. In the practical case here in example, the effective braking times can be regulated as a function of the inertia torques generated by the rotors 12, 12a, 12b, and of the mechanical resistance of the latter when subjected to said torque stresses. As the expert in the technical field can easily understand, a braking system of this type can comprise more than one braking disk and related parts containing and actuating the magnetorheological fluid.

[0066] In order to maximize the braking effect of the magnetorheological fluid on the braking disk 15, the latter can have modified and / or treated surfaces, in particular in chemical and / or physical terms and / or in terms of surface hardness. For example, it is possible to subject the aforementioned braking disc 15 to appropriate treatments of the surface in contact with the magnetorheological fluid, aimed at maximising the chemical and / or physical interaction between the two systems. Such treatments may include, by way of non-limiting example: i) chemical modifications of the surface structure of said contact surface, carried out either by means of chemical functionalizations with appropriate molecules such as silanes (for materials that present oxygenated chemical groups on the surfaces) or thiols (for surfaces that present chemical groups of a metallic nature) or acid, basic or oxidizing compounds, or by means of appropriate physical treatments such as oxygen plasma treatments or treatments with strong concentrated electric fields (so-called "corona treatments"); ii) physical modifications of the surface, such as embossing or the induction of any type of topological characteristics (heights, recesses, shapes, periodical reliefs, etc.), carried out with mechanical methods (for example, stamping) or optical methods (for example, laser) or any other method suitable for the purpose of increasing the total surface of the disc exposed to the magnetorheological fluid, which those skilled in the art can easily identify. Said surface treatments may also include treatments aimed at reinforcing the resistance of solid surfaces in contact with magnetorheological fluids to abrasion; by way of non-limiting example, said treatments may include cementation, nitriding, heat treatments such as tempering. Said variations in the chemical and physical characteristics of the surface of the disc may also be made in a discontinuous or irregular manner on the surface of the disc, which may also assume profiles that are not perfectly flat.

[0067] In embodiments, the aforementioned braking system 14 based on magnetorheological fluids can be provided with channels, tanks and pumps capable of bringing the magnetorheological fluid into contact with the braking disk 15 only in the event of the need to actuate the braking circuit. For example, for this purpose the device 10, 10’ can include a pumping system 32 (represented only in fig. 1 but also applicable to the embodiments of fig. 2) of the magnetorheological fluid to and from the aforementioned at least one braking disk 15. This technical solution allows the braking disk to rotate without appreciable friction when braking is not required, minimizing the energy absorption of the flywheel group 11, 11 ’. Said system of ducts, tanks and pumps can be made in different points of the braking system, and operated in connection with other components of the gyrostabilizer described here.

[0068] Advantageously, the presence of two or more rotors 12a, 12b allows to obtain, also through the aid of computer / electronic management systems of the device, a great flexibility of use of the same, with particular reference to a high speed of adaptation of the moments of inertia developed to changed navigation and / or parking conditions. This flexibility is increased by the possibility of independently actuating the two or more rotors 12a, 12b, imparting them different rotation speeds, accelerations, decelerations to increase the flexibility of response of the gyrostabilizer described here to variations in wave stresses. Further flexibility, versatility of use and applicative advantage of the structure comprising two or more rotors 12a, 12b in a single flywheel group 11 ’ is given by the possibility of making different rotor groups in different materials and / or in different dimensions and / or form factors. With regard to the possible materials that can be used, the following are mentioned here by way of non-limiting example: carbon fibers, ceramic fibers, technopolymers, light or ultralight alloys, various types of carbon steel or stainless steel, composite materials of various types. In this way it is possible to assemble in a single 11' flywheel group two rotors 12a, 12b of the same dimensions and form factors having different masses, different rotation speeds and therefore capable of generating different moments of inertia during the operations of the gyrostabilizer described here. This possibility leads to a further improved ability to eliminate or at least to limit the roll caused by wave motion of variable frequency. A similar result can be obtained by creating, as a non-limiting example, in a flywheel group two rotors with different diameters made of the same material: in this way the two rotor groups will have different masses, and rotating at the same speed they will generate two different moments of inertia, thus stabilizing the vessel with respect to different frequencies of the wave motion. The expert in the field will understand how it is possible to vary in an almost infinite way the combinations between different dimensions, form factors and materials of the rotor groups to create systems with different and simultaneously obtainable moments of inertia and acceleration and deceleration capacities, thus further improving the stabilization performance of the devices in terms of low activation times of the stabilization effect, increased maneuverability of the vessel, reduced fuel and electricity consumption. A further advantageous feature of the possibility of having two or more independent rotor groups in a single flywheel group is that in the event of a malfunction of one of the two rotors, the rotor or rotors still functioning can still perform their stabilization function, allowing the vessel to enjoy gyroscopic stabilization performance, albeit limited, until the artifact is repaired.

[0069] It is also possible to make variable electrical connections between the drive motors of the flywheel assembly 11 ’ comprising at least two rotors 12a, 12b. In more detail, in this aspect of the invention the connections of the drive motors 28a, 28b of the at least two independent rotors 12a, 12b are wired so that its series or parallel configuration can be varied depending on the contingent needs related to the context of use of the here described gyrostabilizer. As a non-limiting example, when the 10’ gyroscopic stabilizing device has just started and the stabilization of the vessel must be accelerated, the variable wiring of at least two motors will be configured by putting the motors in series, so as to power each of the two with the maximum possible current, therefore with the maximum possible torque, so as to speed up the system’s ramp-up. When, however, the rotation speed of the flywheel unit has exceeded a certain minimum threshold, the motor power supply control system will be able to change the power supply configuration of the same by putting them in parallel, thereby obtaining a higher voltage and therefore a higher rotation speed. For the expert in the field it is clear that also different power management options of the actuation motors of the rotor groups, intermediate between the two exampled above, are possible, as well as more complex managements (voltage and / or current 15 and / or up / down ramps, discontinuous power supplies and / or combinations of these modes), carried out by an automated system and / or, preferably by an Artificial Intelligence IA system. All these possibilities fall within the scope of protection of the present inventive solution, and allow the present invention to further improve its versatility, operational readiness and ability to reduce energy consumption.

[0070] In embodiments, the aforementioned braking system 14 can be operated by means of automation operated by said artificial intelligence system.

[0071] In embodiments, the aforementioned artificial intelligence system can be configured to allow on-board communication between multiple gyrostabilizers placed on board the floating craft, whether they are gyroscopic stabilizer devices, hydrodynamic stabilizers or other stabilizers or combinations thereof.

[0072] In embodiments, the aforementioned artificial intelligence system may be configured to allow dynamically selecting the most appropriate connection system, possibly electrical, between said motors 28a, 28b, in the case of the provision of at least two rotors 12a, 12b.

[0073] It is also possible to use the heat generated by the gyroscopic stabilizer device 10, 10’ to provide users of the vessel or the technical services of the vessel with hot water. This is made possible by two practical aspects of the invention reported here. The first aspect is that the flywheel groups 11, 11 ’ presented here are expected to rotate at high speeds, varying between a minimum of 1,000 and a maximum of 200,000 rpm, more preferably between a minimum of 2,000 and a maximum of 100,000 rpm. With reference to fig. 2, at these speeds the bearings 25a and 25b 15 develop very high amounts of friction, which in turn generates high temperatures which require said dedicated cooling systems 26a, 26b. Said cooling systems are operated by means of a heat transfer fluid that is recovered to provide hot water to the users or technical services of the floating crafts. Such cooling problems can be partly avoided by using magnetic bearings, free of friction if the gyro stabilizer system is implemented under high vacuum; in this case, however, the magnetothermic effect deriving from the magnetic field of the bearings interacting with the metal will still generate heat, which must be removed from the system by means of an appropriate cooling system. The second aspect is that the use of a magnetorheological fluid for braking one or more discs determines the generation of friction between the surface of the fluid and that of the mechanical organ with which the magnetorheological fluid is in contact, and within the magnetorheological fluid itself. Furthermore, the interaction between the applied magnetic field and the ferromagnetic particles used in the magnetorheological fluid (the so-called “magnetothermic effect”) generates a further heating effect on the system. The combined set of friction and magnetothermic effects leads braking systems based on magnetorheological fluids to develop significant quantities of heat, which must be disposed of by means of suitable cooling systems.

[0074] Advantageously, the present invention therefore provides ways for the exploitation of the aforementioned sources of heat to be disposed of, generating hot water to be made available to the users of the vessel, or to the technical services of the vessel.

[0075] The present invention also has the objective of using one or more connections, by cables and / or via wifi and / or by other appropriate means of communication, of different gyroscopic stabilizing devices according to the present invention, and / or their components, or of different gyroscopic stabilizing devices and / or their components and traditional gyroscopic stabilizers, or even of traditional gyroscopic stabilizers only, the present gyroscopic stabilizing devices and / or their components and / or traditional gyroscopic stabilizers being positioned in different points of the same vessel. This technical solution may also include connections between gyroscopic stabilizing devices according to the present invention and / or their components and other types of nautical stabilizers, such as for example hydrodynamic fins. The connections with cables and / or via wifi and / or by other appropriate means of communication of different stabilization devices allow an increase in the stabilization effectiveness of the vessel on which said stabilization systems are mounted, thanks to the possibility of coordinating and rapidly optimizing the regimes of moment of inertia of the different and independent rotors and flywheel groups constituting the gyrostabilizer described here, a capability precluded by current gyroscopic stabilizers, which operate at a predetermined rotation regime that cannot be changed in a short time, except, possibly, in the transients of switching on and off the device (which in any case are carried out in times in the order of several minutes / tens of minutes). Even more advantageously, by connecting said communication systems with external information systems (by way of non-limiting example, we mention here weather data, GPS data, data from weather buoys, data from satellites, data from other vessels and various combinations of these data) it will be possible to further improve the rapid response capabilities of the gyrostabilizer described here to wave motion-induced stress variations, detected or predicted.

[0076] It is also possible to use Artificial Intelligence (Al) algorithms for the control of some functions of the gyroscopic stabilizer device according to the present invention, including among these the acquisition of data from external sources (by way of non-limiting example, we cite here weather data, GPS data, data from marine weather buoys, data from satellites, data from other vessels and various combinations of these data) and the management of the operating data of the gyrostabilizer described here. In particular, the aforementioned artificial intelligence system can be configured to control at least some of the functions of the gyroscopic stabilizer device, possibly being able to receive and process, possibly in real time, data from sources external to said gyroscopic stabilizer device. By way of non-limiting example of the possible areas of use of an Al system, we cite the precision operation of the flywheel with two rotors in which the rotation speed of one of the two rotors is determined both by the wave stress data detected by roll sensors installed on the vessel and by the forward speed of the vessel itself; or the regulation of the rotor deceleration of a flywheel group as a function of both the specific speed of the vessel and the weather conditions at the destination point of the planned route for the vessel; or the regulation of the speed of a rotor group as a function of the GPS positioning data of the vessel and the data coming from a weather buoy placed on the planned route for the vessel. For the expert in the field it is easy to understand that the combinations of data possibly useful for regulating the rotation speeds of the rotor groups in real time are numerous, and that their combinations are so many that they require IT assistance for their correct processing, to which Artificial Intelligence algorithms can make decisive contributions.

[0077] The scope of the present invention may also include a system for braking / realignment of the flywheel unit necessary for the correct operation of the device as a stabilizer in the nautical field, comprising for example at least one hydraulic, pneumatic, electric or otherwise actuated linear translation device, appropriately integrated with the other functional groups previously described.

[0078] It is clear that modifications and / or additions of parts may be made to the gyroscopic stabilizer device for floating crafts described up to this point, without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the claims.

[0079] It is also clear that, although the present invention has been described with reference to some specific examples, an expert in the field may make other equivalent forms of gyroscopic stabilizer device for floating, having the characteristics expressed in the claims and therefore all falling within the scope of protection defined by them.

[0080] In the claims that follow, the references in brackets have the sole purpose of facilitating their reading and must not be considered as limiting factors of the scope of protection defined by the claims themselves.

Claims

CLAIMS1. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) for floating crafts, comprising at least a fly-wheel unit (11, 11 ’) provided with at least one rotor (12, 12a, 12b) integrally connected to a shaft (13, 13a, 13b) made to rotate by a motor (28a, 28b), characterized in that said fly-wheel unit (11, 11 ’) is associated with a braking system (14) provided with at least one braking disc (15) integral with said shaft (13, 13a, 13b) and comprising a magnetorheological fluid, controllable by means of at least one electromagnetic device (17).

2. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in claim 1, characterized in that said fly-wheel unit (11) comprises a single rotor (12), or at least two rotors (12a, 12b) aligned along an axis (Z) of rotation, in which each of said two rotors (12a, 12b) is driven by its own motor (28a, 28b) independently of the drive of the other rotor.

3. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said braking system (14) comprises a cooling system (26, 26a, 26b) of the magnetorheological fluid and / or rotation bearings (25, 25a, 25b) of said shaft (13, 13a, 13b), said cooling system (26, 26a, 26b) operated by means of a heat transfer fluid which is recovered to provide hot water to users or to the technical services of the floating craft.

4. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said braking system (14) comprises a lowered expansion and mixing region (27a), provided with elastic membranes (27) configured to allow the magnetorheological fluid to have a thermal expansion without exerting excessive pressure on other components of the braking system (14).

5. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises a system (32) for pumping the magnetorheological fluid from and toward said at least one braking disc (15).

6. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that said at least one braking disc (15) includes modified and / or treated surfaces, in particular in chemical and / or physical terms and / or in terms of surface hardness.

7. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in any claim hereinbefore, characterized in that it comprises an artificial intelligence (Al) system to control at least some of its functions, possibly configured to receive and process, possiblyin real time, data from sources outside said gyroscopic stabilizer device.

8. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in claim 7, characterized in that said braking system (14) is driven by automation operated by said artificial intelligence system.

9. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in claim 7 or 8, characterized in that said artificial intelligence system is configured to allow on-board communication between multiple stabilizer devices located on board the floating craft.

10. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in claim 7, 8 or 9, characterized in that said artificial intelligence system is configured to allow to select in a dynamic manner the most appropriate connection system of said motors (28a, 28b), in the case where at least two rotors (12a, 12b) are provided.

11. Gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in claim 2 or any claim from 3 to 10 when it depends on claim 2, characterized in that said rotors (12a, 12b) are made with different materials and / or with different diameters.

12. Floating craft comprising a gyroscopic stabilizer device (10, 10’) as in any claim hereinbefore.

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