Portable Mooring Buoy Cover with Guide Ring Deployment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current mooring buoy covers are either permanently installed and deteriorate, or they are not portable and cannot be deployed from a vessel while it is moored, leading to vessel damage and entanglement issues.
Innovation Solution
A portable protective cover for mooring buoys composed of interconnected buoyant chambers and ballast-filled sections, connected by snaps, which can be deployed from a vessel along the mooring line and easily retrieved, providing complete physical and acoustic protection and preventing line entanglement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a protective cover is permanently installed on the buoy, then protection effectiveness is improved, but portability and ease of deployment are worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The protective cover is divided into multiple modular buoyant chambers connected in series, allowing the cover to be segmented for easier storage and deployment while maintaining protection effectiveness when assembled
Solution Approach 2:
The cover transitions from a static permanently installed state to a dynamic portable system that can be deployed and retrieved as needed, adapting to different operational requirements
2Ease of operation
If a protective cover is made portable and stored onboard vessel, then ease of operation is improved, but protection reliability is worsened
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is pre-assembled with buoyant chambers and guide rings positioned on the vessel before deployment, ensuring readiness for immediate protection when needed while maintaining portability
Solution Approach 2:
The guide ring acts as an intermediary component that facilitates smooth deployment of the cover from the vessel along the mooring line onto the buoy, ensuring reliable positioning without compromising portability
3Reliability
If the cover structure is made complex to provide complete protection, then protection effectiveness is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The cover is segmented into multiple buoyant chambers connected in series, where each chamber provides localized protection while the collective arrangement delivers complete coverage, balancing complexity with effectiveness
Solution Approach 2:
The cover utilizes flexible buoyant chamber structures that can conform to the buoy shape, providing complete protection through simple modular units rather than complex rigid structures
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 solution effectively prevents vessel damage and line entanglement by forming a protective barrier around the buoy, remaining effective until retrieval, and can be adjusted to fit various buoy sizes, ensuring quick and easy deployment and removal.
Implementation Method 1
a plurality of interconnected buoyant chambers, connected in series and separated by flexible spacers
Implementation Method 2
A plurality of ballast filled chambers are located adjacent to and extend beneath the buoyant chambers
Data Source
AI summary
A protective cover for a mooring buoy utilizes a plurality of interconnected buoyant chambers, connected in series and separated by flexible spacers. A plurality of ballast filled chambers are located adjacent to and extend beneath the buoyant chambers. The ends of the cover are configured to be connected by snaps or equivalent attachment devices, to form a circular enclosure. A guide ring is connected to one of the buoyant chambers to allow the cover to be slid from the moored vessel, along mooring lines, and then over the buoy, such that the buoyant chambers remain at the waterline. The deployed cover thus provides protection from impact with the hull of the vessel by the buoy. A retrieval line is provided to withdraw the cover from the buoy and return it to the vessel when the vessel is departing the mooring. Included as well is the method of deploying the protective cover from a moored vessel onto a buoy.