Automated Trolling Line Dead Weight Release System
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Solution Overview
Problem
The manual handling of dead weights and equipment in marine environments is hazardous due to the need for personnel to manage heavy, moving equipment and cables, which poses risks during deployment and recovery, especially when the ship is in motion.
Innovation Solution
A system with controllable means for blocking and unblocking the dead weight on the trolling line, combined with detection mechanisms to automate the release and recovery of equipment and dead weights, allowing for mechanical immobilization and release, enabling automated operations without human intervention.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If manual handling of dead weights and equipment is performed during deployment and recovery, then personnel can directly control the operations, but personnel safety risks increase due to heavy equipment and ship motion
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs deployment and recovery operations automatically without human intervention. The dead weight automatically locks onto the towing cable when paid out, and the system automatically retrieves equipment during recovery, eliminating the need for personnel to manually handle heavy equipment during ship motion
Solution Approach 2:
Manual mechanical handling operations are replaced with an automated mechanical system that uses detection means, control means, and automated locking/unlocking mechanisms to perform deployment and recovery operations without human physical intervention
2Object-affected harmful factors
If automated release and recovery systems are implemented, then personnel safety risks are reduced, but device complexity increases due to additional control and detection mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The control means serves multiple functions: it detects equipment position, controls locking/unlocking of the dead weight, manages cable payout and retrieval, and coordinates the entire deployment and recovery sequence. The detection means also serves dual purposes by monitoring both equipment position and triggering appropriate system responses
Solution Approach 2:
The locking mechanism for the dead weight and the cable payout control are integrated into a single automated system. The detection means, control means, and execution mechanisms are combined into a unified automated deployment and recovery system that operates as one coordinated unit rather than separate independent systems
3Manufacturing precision
If the dead weight is automatically locked onto the towing cable during payout, then equipment positioning accuracy is improved, but the locking mechanism complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The dead weight is pre-configured with the locking mechanism that automatically engages with the towing cable at the correct position during payout. The detection means identifies when the equipment has moved to the determined distance, triggering the locking action before any potential positioning errors can occur
Solution Approach 2:
The control means acts as an intermediary between the detection means and the locking mechanism. It receives position information from the detection means and automatically activates the locking mechanism at the precise moment when correct positioning is achieved, ensuring accuracy without requiring complex direct mechanical linkages
Data Source
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AI summary
System including a dead weight and equipment on a trolling line released from and retrieved to a receiving structure of a vessel, the dead weight including a controllable element for blocking and unblocking the line, so as to immobilize the line relative to the dead weight in the blocked configuration, and to allow the line to run relative to the dead weight in the unblocked configuration; a first detection element for detecting whether or not or not the equipment has moved to a predefined distance from the dead weight; a control element configured, in case of an order to release: —in a step 2L, to release the equipment from the structure, —in a step 3L, when the first detection element detects the equipment has moved to the predefined distance, to then release the dead weight and control the blocking and unblocking element to shift to the blocked configuration.