33 results about "Negative buoyancy" patented technology

The invention discloses a slide rail type guiding load releasing and recycling device for an underwater vehicle and the underwater vehicle, and the slide rail type guiding load releasing and recycling device is provided with a lifting and tilting movement unit, so that a load retracting and releasing unit can be accurately controlled to perform lifting and tilting movement; the load collecting and releasing unit can have various load releasing and recovering modes, different scene requirements are met, and automatic releasing, transporting and recovering of loads can be achieved. When the rear longitudinal sliding rail slides towards the front portion of the underwater vehicle along the transverse sliding rail and meanwhile the rear cross beam slides downwards along the rear longitudinal sliding rail, the tail of the load collecting and releasing unit can descend by a certain angle, the load is released or recycled in an inclined mode, and the method is suitable for the situation that the released load is a negative buoyancy load and can slide out by means of the gravity of the load. When the front cross beam and the rear cross beam simultaneously slide downwards to the bottommost part, the horizontal release or recovery of the load can be realized, and the method is suitable for releasing the positive buoyancy load of a self-provided power device.

According to the present invention, when installing a concrete structure that is closed on the bottom and open on the top and has an inner space on a seabed, a temporary cover is installed on the concrete structure to seal the inner space, and the buoyancy of the inner space is used to bring the concrete structure to a state of negative buoyancy very close to neutral buoyancy (i.e., bring the actual weight thereof close to zero), thus obviating the need for a large crane for supporting the weight of the concrete structure when sinking the concrete structure.

The present invention relates to a submersible solar device, comprising: a solar cell panel; at least one buoyancy body connected to the solar panel; wherein the solar cell panel and the at least one buoyancy body have positive buoyancy at the water surface of the water body; the diving device is suitable for applying negative buoyancy to the submersible solar device; wherein the at least one buoyancy body comprises a reversibly compressible first buoyancy body. The invention also relates to the use of the submersible solar system for generating electrical energy, to a transport system for a submersible solar device, and to the use of the transport system.

The present invention relates to an auxiliary recovery system and recovery method for underwater rocket-powered vehicles, belonging to the technical field of underwater vehicle marine test recovery. The system includes a jettisoning mechanism for separating a jettisonable nose section from a recovery position-indicating section to jettison the jettisonable nose section, a parachute ejection device for ejecting a parachute inside the system out of the recovery position-indicating section to open the parachute, a smoke generator for emitting smoke for easy identification, a satellite position-indicating device for locating the rocket-powered vehicle's position at sea, a sensor assembly for acquiring the water depth, speed, and attitude information of the rocket-powered vehicle and transmitting it to a control module, and a recovery control module for issuing corresponding instructions to the jettisoning mechanism, the parachute ejection device, the smoke generator, and the satellite position-indicating device based on information fed back by the sensor assembly. Based on this system, rapid recovery of a negatively buoyant underwater rocket-powered vehicle with a speed exceeding 80 knots can be achieved with high recovery reliability.

The invention belongs to the technical field of simulation of installation and control of an offshore large floating structure, and particularly relates to a device and a method for testing dynamic response of continuous sinking water of a pipe joint of an immersed tunnel. According to the invention, the cooperative control technology of pipe joint immersion and mooring positioning is applied to the pool model test method of pipe joint continuous immersion, the control of the negative buoyancy of the pipe joint is realized by using a ballast water sump remote controller in the model test, and the cooperative control of a hoisting cable and a mooring positioning cable of the pipe joint is carried out by using a servo control system. The full-flow continuous simulation of the immersed tube section immersion operation is realized; cooperative control adjustment of cable lifting and releasing and mooring and positioning is conducted under the still water condition, the feasibility of the system control technology is verified, the influence of the hydrodynamic environment on dynamic response during continuous pipe joint sinking operation is studied, and a reference basis is provided for formulating and optimizing an immersed tunnel pipe joint sinking installation scheme.

The utility model relates to the technical field of underwater robots, in particular to a propeller composite wheel with a convertible underwater motion state for an observation and maintenance robot. A propeller outer wheel is installed outside the pressure-resistant hub, a buoyancy adjusting device is installed between the propeller outer wheel and the pressure-resistant hub, a sealing partition plate is installed in an inner cavity of the pressure-resistant hub, air holes are formed in the surface of the pressure-resistant hub, the buoyancy adjusting device is communicated with the first sealed cabin through the air holes, and an exhaust pump is installed in the first sealed cabin; a driving motor is mounted in the second sealing chamber, gas between the buoyancy adjusting air bag and the first sealing chamber in the pressure-resistant hub is exhausted through the exhaust pump, the size of the buoyancy adjusting air bag is changed, and rapid and repeated adjustment of'zero buoyancy-negative buoyancy 'of the propeller composite wheel is achieved. The underwater robot can be used as a propeller, a roller and a walking foot so as to adapt to a complex underwater operation environment, so that underwater observation and maintenance operation are completed, and the environment adaptability is high.

The present invention relates to a submersible photovoltaic power generation system equipped with a device for achieving a floating state at a predetermined diving depth. The submersible photovoltaic power generation system comprises a photovoltaic panel, at least one buoyancy device connected to the photovoltaic panel, and a diving means capable of applying negative buoyancy to the photovoltaic power generation system. The at least one buoyancy device comprises a first buoyancy device that is at least partially reversibly compressible. The present invention further relates to the use of a submersible photovoltaic power generation system for generating electrical energy, a transport system for a submersible photovoltaic power generation system, and the use of a transport system.

The utility model relates to the technical field of underwater robots, in particular to a motion state change device for an underwater observation and maintenance robot. The propeller composite wheel is installed at one end of the composite wheel position conversion device, and the other end of the composite wheel position conversion device is installed on a main body frame of the robot. The outer edge of the propeller composite wheel adopts a blade design, the propeller composite wheel can be used as a propeller, a roller and a walking foot under the action of a driving motor and a speed reducer, and a mounting bracket rotates in a horizontal plane by driving an outer rotor II; the outer rotor I is driven to enable the composite wheel position conversion device to rotate in a vertical plane relative to the assembly mounting and fixing flange, so that the position of the propeller composite wheel in the robot is changed, and the composite wheel position conversion device is matched with the propeller composite wheel for use to realize rapid and repeated adjustment of'zero buoyancy-negative buoyancy 'of the propeller composite wheel; change of floating / crawling / walking state switching of the robot is the core of state switching and walking functions of the robot.

A submersible dredging vessel having a hydrodynamic body optimised for energy-efficient underwater movement. The vessel comprises four primary propulsion units, each incorporating a pump. The vessel has negative buoyancy, causing it to sink when not powered. The vessel comprises a dredging pump arranged to dredge and to control the vertical location in a body of water. The dredging pump can operate in three modes: sink, stable, and rise. In sink mode, the downward force exceeds upward forces, causing descent. Stable mode balances forces, maintaining a constant depth, while rise mode increases upward force to ascend.

The present invention introduces an innovative process for constructing large-scale megastructures, such as expansive domes, leveraging an adjustable height work platform that eliminates the need for heavy-duty cranes. The adjustable work platform, built upon floating foundation blocks, such as those detailed in patent application Ser. No. 18 / 765,120, is placed in a water body, enabling an efficient and cost-effective method of vertically expanding the platform's height during construction. The process begins with constructing the structure's apex on the platform, which is then elevated as necessary through the addition of negatively buoyant lifting blocks underneath the existing platform.The elevation of the platform is achieved by discharging high-pressure air into the new blocks' water compartments, forcing water out and increasing their buoyancy. This mechanism raises the entire platform according to the combined carrying capacity of the new layer of blocks. Simultaneously, the developing structure is elevated, creating room for further structural expansion.This top-down construction approach allows for maintaining a constant relative height between the platform and the structure above, negating the need for large-scale cranes. Small systems suffice for the vertical transportation of materials and personnel among different sections, ensuring a safe working environment. Once the construction is complete, the platform's removal involves gradually reducing the buoyancy of the blocks, starting from the bottommost layer, thereby lowering the platform and distancing it from the structure's ceiling. The blocks' air is bled out to allow water re-entry, making them sink, thus achieving the platform's step-by-step descent.Following the platform's removal, the final stages of construction are executed, and the structure is handed over to the owner. If designed to rest on land, the structure is positioned on a fixed foundation with a temporary deep pool for the block levels. Conversely, if intended to be floating, the structure rests on a remaining platform robust enough to support it. The floating design affords the possibility of towing the structure to various locations, offering an unprecedented level of mobility and versatility for megastructures.

The invention provides an amphibious submersible, and relates to the technical field of underwater robots. The amphibious submersible comprises an electronic cabin; the pair of crawling crawlers are arranged on the left side and the right side of the electronic cabin correspondingly and used for achieving bottom-attaching crawling of the amphibious submersible underwater. A support frame; the pair of battery cabins is used for providing power support; a propulsion system; the buoyancy adjusting mechanism is used for adjusting the overall buoyancy of the amphibious submersible, so that the amphibious submersible works in a zero-buoyancy floating working mode or a negative-buoyancy crawling working mode; the communication positioning system is used for communicating with shore equipment and positioning the amphibious submersible; and the control system is used for realizing navigation and operation of the amphibious submersible according to a preset program and / or receiving a real-time control signal of the shore equipment. The floating mode and the crawling mode are switched through the buoyancy adjusting mechanism, multi-scene requirements are met, autonomous control and optical fiber real-time control are compatible, and large-range autonomous operation and high-precision remote control are both considered.

The invention provides a floating state compensation device and method for an underwater unmanned vehicle, and belongs to the technical field of underwater unmanned vehicles. The floating state compensation device comprises an air bag assembly, a compensation control cabin, a high-pressure air cylinder and an air pressure pipeline; the high-pressure gas cylinders are connected with the compensation control cabin through gas pressure pipelines, and the compensation control cabin is connected with the two gas bag assemblies through gas pressure pipelines. The air bag assembly comprises an air bag protection shell, N water permeable holes are formed in the air bag protection shell, and an air bag is arranged in the air bag protection shell; after the floating state compensation device receives a floating state compensation instruction, the compensation control cabin is converted into an exhaust state from a normally-closed state, so that gas in the air bag is quickly exhausted into the high-pressure gas cylinder through the air pressure pipeline, and quick floating state compensation is performed on the lost negative buoyancy after the load of the unmanned underwater vehicle is released. The floating state compensation device for the unmanned underwater vehicle has the advantages of being compact in overall structure, low in device self weight, good in stability control, capable of being repeatedly used, high in adaptability and the like.

The application relates to a device and a method for sequestering carbon dioxide (CO2) in a container (5) placed at the bottom of a body of water (2) at a sufficient depth to maintain the carbon dioxide in the liquid state. The container (5) is connected by a pipe (4) to a source (3) of carbon dioxide for filling the container. The container can advantageously be connected to a platform (1) which allows it to be lowered into the body of water (2) and can be provided with a ballast so that the assembly has negative buoyancy.

The present invention discloses an integrated deployment submersible buoy, comprising: an anchoring section, a rod-shaped support and self-locking unit, and other equipment sections; the other equipment sections include a second equipment section, the second equipment section having positive buoyancy, the anchoring section having negative buoyancy, the second equipment section being provided with a second connecting hole, the second connecting hole comprising a second upper hole and a second lower hole, the second lower hole being wedge-shaped, smaller at the top and larger at the bottom; the rod-shaped support and self-locking unit comprising a connecting rod and a second semi-ring wedge, the lower portion of the connecting rod being fixed to the anchoring section, the upper portion of the connecting rod extending through the second connecting hole, the upper portion of the second semi-ring wedge having a second wedge surface that mates with the wall of the second lower hole, the second wedge surfaces of the two second semi-ring wedges respectively abutting the wall of the second lower hole, and the lower portions of the two second semi-ring wedges being disposed on the anchoring section. Compared to the prior art, the present invention, in conjunction with a slide rail and a hoisting mechanism, enables the integrated deployment of multiple equipment sections, which can then be autonomously separated after entry into the water.

A system for inspecting the condition of a conduit while fluid is flowing in the conduit includes an inspection apparatus and a retrieval unit insertable into the conduit for catching the apparatus and removing the apparatus from the conduit. The inspection apparatus includes first and second chambers interconnected together in spaced apart relationship, one of the chambers is positively buoyant and the other chamber is negatively buoyant. Sensing devices to detect and sense physical parameters of at least one of the fluid and the conduit are disposed within at least one of the first and second chambers. The retrieval unit includes a catchment device shaped to capture the apparatus and a deployment device to deploy the catchment device to be in position to catch the inspection apparatus. Once the inspection apparatus is caught, the deployment device removes the inspection apparatus from the conduit.

According to the technical scheme, the depth setting device is characterized by comprising a lower anchor system, and the lower anchor system has negative buoyancy in seawater; the underwater equipment has positive buoyancy in seawater, and the underwater equipment is connected with the lower anchor system through a mooring rope; the control system is used for controlling the unwinding speed of the mooring rope between the underwater equipment and the lower anchor system; the control system comprises a control cabin; a winch; a hydraulic motor; two oil inlets and outlets of the hydraulic motor are communicated with the oil tank through two connecting pipelines; the depth sensor is arranged at the underwater equipment and is used for measuring the water depth of the underwater equipment; and an electromagnetic proportional flow valve; through the arrangement of the electromagnetic proportional valve, the cable laying speed can be adjusted according to the depth of the underwater equipment, and then the lowering of the fixed speed of the lower anchor system is controlled, and the water depth of the underwater equipment is controlled to be kept stable.

A shipping vessel is disclosed. The shipping vessel includes a vessel segment and a control system to control the vessel segment. The shipping vessel includes at least one first variable ballast tank and at least one second variable ballast tank adjacently positioned to the at least one first variable ballast tank. The at least one control system configured to receive a subroute comprising a target peak, a target trough, a target course, and a target waypoint. Based on the subroute, the at least one control system configured to selectively operate the at least one first variable ballast tank and the at least one second variable ballast tank to alter a travel state of the vessel segment among a positive buoyancy, a negative buoyancy, and a neutral buoyancy.

Underground facilities built for storing electric energy in the form of gravity and buoyant energy are described herein. In one embodiment, the facility is disposed in a thixotropic fluid beneath the ground surface and houses water to maintain a positive buoyancy and a piston having a bulk density greater than the water. In another embodiment, the underground facility is configured as a buoyant capsule arranged in a cylinder filled with water, where the cylinder is sealed except for openings in a bottom half of the cylinder to allow near unimpeded water flow from a location inside to a location outside of the cylinder. In another embodiment, the underground facility is configured as a negatively buoyant capsule.

A method of installing a subsea riser includes placing an elongate negatively-buoyant support on the seabed and, when laying the riser on the seabed, guiding a riser portion onto the support to extend along and be cradled by the support. A hogbend region of the riser is then formed by conferring positive buoyancy on the support to lift the support and the riser portion away from the seabed. An element of the support includes a riser support disposed in a longitudinally extending open-ended gap between buoyancy volumes disposed on opposite sides of the gap. Coupling formations such as hinge portions can couple the element to a like element. When so coupled, the gaps of those elements align to define an upwardly opening, longitudinally extending groove to receive the riser.

This invention relates to the field of buoy platform control, and discloses a comprehensive buoyancy adjustment method and device for a buoy platform. The buoy platform achieves rapid sinking due to negative buoyancy by using a load-bearing counterweight and rapid surfacing due to positive buoyancy by jettisoning weights and piston movement. When the buoy reaches a preset depth, the inflated airbags provide auxiliary buoyancy, ensuring rapid surfacing and raising the antenna compartment to a certain height above the water. A wave-resistant device opens under the inflated airbags, providing some wave resistance. When the buoy platform needs to dive, the airbag system retracts the inflated airbags, and the wave-resistant device retracts under the action of a torsion spring, maintaining its shape and reducing drag. Fine buoyancy adjustment is performed via a piston, allowing the buoy platform to reach the designated depth. This invention simplifies the system structure and achieves efficient and reliable operation of the buoy platform across all mission profiles through the organic combination of multiple buoyancy adjustment methods and a reasonable mechanical linkage design.

The invention discloses a three-dimensional porous negative buoyancy jet transient flow direct numerical simulation prediction method. The prediction method comprises the following steps: determining a three-dimensional porous negative buoyancy jet transient control equation; constructing a physical information neural network; acquiring multiple groups of multi-working-condition experimental data as a sample data set; inputting the sample data set into a physical information neural network model for training to obtain the total loss of the sample data in the neural network model, and adjusting and optimizing hyper-parameters of the neural network by taking the minimum loss calculated by a loss function as a target to obtain a trained physical information neural network; to-be-simulated space coordinates and prediction time are input into the trained physical information neural network, key parameters representing negative buoyancy jet flow characteristics are obtained, and therefore the transportation mechanism and entrainment mixing characteristics of the negative buoyancy jet flow characteristics are studied. According to the method, meshless solution can be realized, the grid dependence of a traditional method is avoided, the calculation efficiency is improved, and the method is suitable for the buoyancy-driven flow problem of multi-physics field coupling.

A planar sensor array includes a center tube, a first group of tubes, and a second group of tubes. One or more of the first group of tubes is positively buoyant, and at least one of the second group of tubes is negatively buoyant. Adjacent tubes are joined together by hinges. Acoustic sensors are positioned within the tubes. First and second half-shells are connected to the most distal tube of each group. The first half-shell is positively buoyant, and the second half-shell is negatively buoyant. An actuator attached to said center tube, and fins are attached to the actuator. The actuator is adjustable to change the fins angle of attack. Environmental fluid flow over the fins induces a torque on the actuator and center tube and causes these components to rotate. Rotation of the center tube causes the first and second groups of tubes to wrap around the center tube.

The invention discloses an ocean multi-physics field comprehensive detection system which comprises a detection system and a cement anchor bed, the detection system is fastened to the cement anchor bed, and the cement anchor bed provides negative buoyancy to enable the system to be fixed to the seabed; an equipment cabin and a sensor assembly connected with an instrument cabin are mounted in the detection system, the instrument cabin is used for processing signals, and a plurality of watertight connecting plugs are arranged in the instrument cabin to ensure quick connection of required sensors; the sensor assembly comprises a sound field sensor, a magnetic field sensor, an electric field sensor, a water pressure field sensor and a seismic wave field sensor; on the basis of a comprehensive measurement system, marine environment multi-physics field data measurement and feature analysis work is carried out, the multi-dimensional information joint detection and feature extraction technology of marine multi-physics fields is achieved, a new joint detection method is provided, and a marine environment multi-physics field feature analysis database is constructed; and comprehensive measurement of multiple physical fields of a marine environment and an underwater target is realized.

The present invention discloses an integrated marine multi-physical field detection system, which includes a detection system and a cement anchor base. The detection system is fastened to the cement anchor base, and the cement anchor base provides negative buoyancy to enable the system to be fixed to the seabed. An equipment cabin and a sensor assembly connected to the equipment cabin are installed in the detection system. The equipment cabin is responsible for signal processing, and multiple watertight connectors are provided in the equipment cabin to ensure the quick connection of required sensors. The sensor assembly includes an acoustic field sensor, a magnetic field sensor, an electric field sensor, a water pressure field sensor, and a seismic wave field sensor. Based on the integrated measurement system, the present invention conducts the work of measuring and analyzing the data of multi-physical fields in the marine environment, solves the multi-dimensional information joint detection and feature extraction technology of marine multi-physical fields, proposes a new joint detection method, and constructs a feature analysis database of marine multi-physical fields to realize the integrated measurement of multi-physical fields of the marine environment and underwater targets.

This invention relates to the field of airship technology and discloses a low-energy safe airship, including a main airbag, a propulsion system, and a control system. The main airbag is filled with buoyancy gas, and the total buoyancy of the entire aircraft is less than its total weight, with a ratio of 80% to 99.9%. The propulsion system compensates for the difference between buoyancy and weight, enabling hovering, ascent, descent, and level flight attitude control. This invention employs a micro-negative buoyancy design, causing the entire aircraft to naturally tend to slowly sink, preventing it from drifting upwards on its own. This reduces the risk of loss of control due to over-limit expansion, cable breakage, or drift. The multi-compartment airtight redundancy design ensures that if any compartment is damaged, the remaining compartments can maintain their original buoyancy, making the overall buoyancy loss controllable. Combined with the propulsion system, this allows for a smooth descent, reducing the risk of rapid descent. The fully enclosed heat-insulating and temperature-controlled structure can suppress the expansion of internal gases due to solar radiation.

A submersible solar installation is provided, the installation comprising a solar panel; at least one buoyancy body connected to the solar panel; wherein the solar panel and the at least one buoyancy body are designed to have a positive buoyancy at a water surface of a body of water; and a diving element adapted to subject the submersible solar installation to a negative buoyant force; wherein the at least one buoyancy body includes a first buoyancy body that is at least partially reversibly compressible.

An apparatus for farming macroalgae that includes a macroalgae farm and variable displacement spar buoy apparatuses connected to the macroalgae farm. Each of the spar buoy apparatus has a top sealed compartment having a gas and a bottom portion that is open at the bottom. A vent pipe extends from the bottom portion up through the top sealed compartment. The variable displacement spar buoy provides buoyancy by adding a gas to the bottom portion through the vent pipe and provides negative buoyancy by removing the gas from the bottom portion through the vent pipe. In this manner, variable buoyancy may be provided to the macroalgae farm to raise or lower the macroalgae farm.

A buoyancy adjuster includes: a buoyant portion detachably attached to a target object including a housing portion having a positive buoyancy, the buoyant portion having a neutral or negative buoyancy; and an orientation adjuster detachably attachable to the buoyant portion, the orientation adjuster configured to adjust orientation of the target object in a fluid. The orientation adjuster includes a weight portion detachably attached to a prescribed position of the buoyant portion, the weight portion having a negative buoyancy exceeding the positive buoyancy of the housing portion. A first height position of the housing portion relative to a second height position of the buoyant portion attaching the weight portion is lower than the first height position relative to the second height position of the buoyant portion without the weight portion in the fluid.

Title: Floating system for producing microalgae in the form of a biofilm The invention relates to a system (1) for producing microalgae in the form of a biofilm comprising a frame (100), a motor (200), at least one support (300) and a sheet (400) intended to receive the biofilm and in which: the frame (100) is configured to support the motor (200), the motor (200) is configured to impart a rotational movement to at least one support (300); the at least one support (300) is configured to have a rotational movement around an axis of rotation and to support and impart the rotational movement on the sheet (400); the sheet (400) is configured to at least partially surround the at least one support (300), characterized in that the support (300) is configured to have a non-negative buoyancy a liquid (2). Figure for abstract: Fig. 6

An underwater robot apparatus that is capable of omnidirectional lateral movement using Bluetooth, depth, temperature, and light sensors for monitoring the marine environment. The apparatus is an adaptive, three-axis control soft robotic apparatus embedded with sensors and can swim in three dimensions to record aquatic life. An adaptive controller within the soft robotic apparatus produces positive upward motion despite its negative buoyancy and additional pressure vessel mass. A submersible impellor pump is connected to each actuator grouping wherein propulsion is created by filling and emptying of nine tentacles with surrounding ambient water. The apparatus produces maximum thrust using a full stroke actuation scheme at a frequency of 0.3 Hz. In addition to upward motion, the apparatus effects lateral motion utilizing two of three sets of actuator groups for more complex travel. An onboard pressure sensor coupled with the adaptive controller, allows the apparatus to autonomously hold to a predetermined depth.