Cableless Seabed Sediment Measurement System for Full Ocean Depth
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current devices for measuring mechanical properties of sea floor sediments are limited by cable length, making it difficult to operate at full ocean depth, especially in Hadal Trench areas, and are costly and not suitable for long-term continuous operations.
Innovation Solution
A cableless underwater measurement system with a slow-descent mechanism, leveling mechanism, release mechanism, and various penetration mechanisms that allow the device to autonomously descend, measure, and recover from the sea floor, enabling operation at any depth and reducing operational costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If cable-launched measurement devices are used, then long-term stable observation can be achieved in shallow ocean, but the working depth is limited by cable length and cannot reach Hadal Trench areas
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the cable constraint from the measurement system, extracting the limiting factor that prevented deep-ocean operation. The underwater measurement device is launched without any cable connection, enabling it to reach Hadal Trench depths while maintaining measurement capabilities through autonomous operation and underwater acoustic communication for data transmission.
2Length of moving object
If submersibles are used to carry measurement devices to deep ocean, then in-situ detection can be achieved at depths greater than 6,000 m, but the cost is extremely high and long-term continuous operation is impossible
Solution Approach 1:
The underwater measurement device is designed to operate autonomously without requiring expensive submersible support. It performs self-launching, self-positioning, self-measurement, and self-recovery operations. The device communicates with the surface via underwater acoustic modulation and can be recovered by a simple fishing vessel using beacon signals, eliminating the need for costly submersible operations while achieving deep-ocean measurement capabilities.
3Reliability
If cable-launched devices are used, then measurement stability is maintained, but the device complexity increases due to cable management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent completely removes the cable from the system, eliminating all cable management complexities including deployment, retrieval, and data transmission through cables. Instead, the device uses wireless underwater acoustic communication for data exchange and a simple beacon system for location tracking, significantly reducing system complexity while maintaining measurement stability through autonomous operation.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The system enables stable and autonomous measurement and recovery of sea floor sediment mechanical properties at depths up to 11,000 meters, facilitating long-term continuous observation and reducing the need for submersibles and research vessel assistance.
Implementation Method 1
the system circuit controls a piston rod of the slow-descent cylinder to extend or retract, so as to drive the wing panel to open or close
Implementation Method 2
the system circuit controls the leveling cylinder to drive the leveling leg to extend or retract according to the received attitude data, so as to adjust the attitude of the frame-type body
Implementation Method 3
the system circuit controls the release cylinder to pull down the cable, which causes the hook to rotate under self-weight and detach from the lifting hole of the counterweight
Implementation Method 4
the cone probe is internally provided with a pore water pressure sensor and a penetration resistance sensor
Implementation Method 5
the cone probe is internally provided with a pore water pressure sensor and a penetration resistance sensor
Implementation Method 6
the shear driving device is provided therein with a torque sensor for detecting a shear torque of the vane probe
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The present invention discloses a system for measuring a mechanical property of a sea floor sediment at full ocean depth. The system includes an overwater monitoring unit and an underwater measurement device, where the underwater measurement device includes an observation platform and a measuring mechanism; the observation platform includes a frame-type body and a floating body, a wing panel, a floating ball cabin, a leveling mechanism, a counterweight, and a release mechanism mounted on the frame-type body; the floating ball cabin seals a system circuit; the wing panel opens when the underwater measurement device descends to a set height away from the sea floor, so that the underwater measurement device can land stably; the leveling mechanism adjusts the underwater measurement device to stand horizontally on the sea floor when the frame-type body reaches the sea floor; the release mechanism discards the counterweight to realize recovery after the underwater measurement device completes the underwater operation; the measuring mechanism includes a cone penetration measuring mechanism, a spherical penetration measuring mechanism, and a vane shear measuring mechanism, or a sampling mechanism. The measurement system of the present invention can realize the measurement of the mechanical property of the sea floor sediment at full ocean depth.