Cathedral Buoyant Body for Ocean Bottom Seismic Node
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing ocean bottom seismic nodes are not cost-effective, complex, and difficult to maintain and repair, with existing technologies for deploying them on the seabed being inefficient and operationally problematic.
Innovation Solution
An ocean bottom seismic node design featuring a buoyant body with a cathedral inner structure coupled to a substantially flat metal bottom plate, where the buoyant body is made of plastic with a density less than syntactic foam, providing improved coupling to the seabed and simplified access for electronic components, which can be used in autonomous underwater vehicles or traditional seismic nodes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a thick flat metal bottom plate is used to improve seabed coupling, then seismic recording quality is improved, but the weight of the node increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the anti-weight principle by using a buoyant body with cathedral inner structures to counterbalance the weight of the thick metal bottom plate. The buoyant body provides upward buoyant force that compensates for the heavy plate, allowing the node to achieve both strong seabed coupling and manageable overall weight for deployment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite materials by combining a thick metal bottom plate for seismic coupling with a plastic buoyant body containing cathedral structures. This composite construction allows the node to simultaneously achieve strong mechanical coupling to the seabed while maintaining overall buoyancy and deployability.
2Device complexity
If electronic components are directly attached to the bottom metal plate, then device complexity is reduced, but access for maintenance and repair becomes more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies segmentation by dividing the node into distinct modules: the bottom metal plate with attached electronic components, and a separate removable buoyant body. This modular design allows components to be easily accessed by simply removing the buoyant body, maintaining low complexity while enabling straightforward maintenance and repair operations.
3Weight of moving object
If syntactic foam is used for the buoyant body, then buoyancy is achieved, but manufacturing cost and complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by transitioning from syntactic foam to a plastic material with cathedral inner structures for the buoyant body. This material substitution and structural modification maintains the required buoyancy parameters while significantly reducing manufacturing complexity and cost, making the node more economically viable for large-scale deployment.
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 design enhances seabed coupling, reduces complexity and maintenance costs, and improves the reliability and ease of handling of seismic nodes, allowing for efficient seismic data recording at great depths.
Implementation Method 1
The density of the buoyant body structure is substantially less than that of syntactic foam and other prior art buoyant body structures and compensates for the increased weight of a thick flat bottom plate
Implementation Method 2
The heavy bottom plate also provides a low center of gravity for the ocean bottom seismic node
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed is an ocean bottom seismic node for recording seismic signals on the seabed. The ocean bottom seismic node may comprise an arched cathedral buoyant body coupled to a substantially flat bottom metal plate. The buoyant body may be formed of hard plastic (such as plastic injection in a mold) and have one or more cathedral type inner structures with columns that form a plurality of interconnected inner chambers, which may be dry or filled with foam and/or act as ballasts. One or more electronic components may be directly attached to the bottom metal plate (and within one or more of the internal cathedral chambers) and covered/protected by the buoyant body that is water and pressure resistant at seabed depths. The edge(s) of the buoyant body may seal around the metal plate on one or more peripheral edges of the plate and buoyant body.