KR100652914B1 - System of inspecting outside wall of vessel and port using remotely operated vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A system for inspecting an outer wall of a vessel and a port using a remotely operated vehicle is provided to shorten an inspection time by performing an inspection work without being stopped. An outer supporting unit is connected to a remotely operated vehicle by a cable. A path design unit(221) calculates an optimum moving path by using the movement information of the remotely operated vehicle based on information about an inspection object and an inspection environment of the inspection object. The path design unit provides the remotely operated vehicle with the calculated optimum movement path. A navigation unit(223) estimates a location, a position, and a speed of the remotely operated vehicle. A power supply unit(225) provides the remotely operated vehicle with a power so that the remotely operated vehicle acquires the information about the inspection object and the inspection environment, and moves. An error correction unit(222) provides the remotely operated vehicle with a control signal to correct a corresponding error by calculating the corresponding error in case that a predetermined path is not estimated by waves or a tide. A manual operation unit(224) performs a manual operation of the remotely operated vehicle in case that the manual operation is needed. An information recording unit(226) records the information extracted from the image and sensors acquired from the remotely operated vehicle.

Description

Vessel and port exterior wall inspection system using a manned unmanned submersible {SYSTEM OF INSPECTING OUTSIDE WALL OF VESSEL AND PORT USING REMOTELY OPERATED VEHICLE}

Figure 1 shows an unmanned submersible, external support means and external navigation support means constituting the ship and harbor outer wall inspection system according to the present invention.

Figure 2 illustrates in more detail the configuration of the information acquisition unit implemented in the dust-free unmanned submersible in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a floating type unmanned submersible in accordance with the present invention.

The present invention relates to a ship and harbor outer wall inspection system using an unmanned submersible, and more particularly, to a system for inspecting the outer wall of a ship or a harbor using a remotely operated vehicle.

Existing ship's outer wall inspection was carried out by visual inspection by divers, such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act, etc. It must be regulated by various related laws. In addition, even if the underwater work is allowed for the above 20 minutes, the actual underwater work time becomes shorter in consideration of the time taken to obtain and move to the inspection site and the time to finish the inspection.

For this reason, if you want to inspect the outer wall of a large vessel such as the Very Large Crude Oil Carrier (VLCC), it takes about a week to inspect the outer wall of the entire vessel, which is a great loss in time and cost. It is an undeniable reality that there is always a threat to human life as it is directly committed.

In order to solve the problems of the prior art, there is a need for the development of an unmanned inspection system capable of performing inspection work in a shorter time without a person directly input for the inspection of the outer wall of a ship or a port.

This unmanned inspection system should be able to acquire and record the image of the outer wall of the ship or port to be inspected or transmit it to the outside in real time as it replaces the visual inspection by divers, and it can be continued for a long time. A stable power supply is needed to make sure that the position, speed and attitude of the unmanned submersible are controlled.

The present invention is to achieve the above technical problem, a ship and harbor outer wall inspection system including an external unmanned submersible and the external support means connected by cable with the manual unmanned submersible, the external support means, the inspection system Based on the preliminary information on the test target and the test environment in which the test target is located, the optimum movement route is calculated using the kinematic information of the manned unmanned submersible, and the optimal movement calculated by the manned unmanned submersible. Route planning unit for providing a route; A navigation unit for estimating the position, speed, and attitude of the manned unmanned submersible; A power supply unit for supplying power required for acquiring and moving various pieces of information from the inspection target and the inspection environment by the oilless unmanned submersible; An error compensator for supplying a control signal for compensating for the error by calculating a corresponding error when the disturbance such as a wave or a tidal current occurs and following the previously planned path; A manual operation unit for performing a manual operation of the oilless submersible when the manual operation is required, such as when the error for compensation is excessively large or when a specific part of the inspection object needs to be examined in more detail; An information recording unit for collecting and recording the image and the measurement information acquired by the dust-free unmanned submersible; And it may be configured to include a handle for managing the input and recovery of unmanned submersible and other cables and the like.

In addition, the ship and harbor outer wall inspection system is preferably configured using the three or more underwater acoustic distance measuring equipment, further configured to further include external navigation support means for specifying the position of the manned unmanned submersible. Can be.

Preferably, the oilless submersible includes: a propulsion unit including one or more propellers to move in a desired direction by using the power supplied from the external support means; And it may be configured to include an information acquisition unit for obtaining a variety of information from the inspection target and the inspection environment.

Preferably, the information acquisition unit includes an image sensor including a high resolution still image acquisition device and a moving image acquisition device capable of acquiring surrounding image information in real time; It may be configured to include a distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance between the inspection target and the dustless submersible. And a flow rate measuring sensor for measuring an ambient flow rate of the floating unmanned submersible in order not to be provided with an external navigation support means or to obtain a higher position accuracy. A tilt sensor for measuring the posture of the unmanned submersible submersible; An azimuth sensor for measuring an azimuth headed by the floating unmanned submersible; And it may be configured to include any one or more of the depth sensor for measuring the depth of the current unmanned submersible submersible.

Preferably, the information obtained by the information acquisition unit is delivered in real time to the external support means, the external support means receiving the information is configured to transmit a control command corresponding to the information to the manned unmanned submersible submersible Can be.

Advantageously, the manned unmanned submersible further comprises a control unit for controlling the operation of the propulsion unit, the power distribution unit and the information acquisition unit according to an instruction related to the operation of the manned unmanned submersible from the external support means. Can be configured.

Preferably, the oilless submersible further comprises a power distribution unit for efficiently distributing and controlling the power resources provided for the operation of the oilless unmanned submersible by the power supplied through the cable from the external support means. Can be.

Preferably, the external support means may be configured to further include a handling unit for performing the function of inputting and withdrawing the unmanned submersible submersible below the surface where the inspection object is located to perform the inspection.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 shows an unmanned submersible, external support means and external navigation support means constituting the ship and harbor outer wall inspection system according to the present invention.

The unmanned submersible 210 according to the present invention is a freshly operated unmanned submersible and is connected as a cable with the external support means 220. The unmanned submersible 210 may be configured to include a propulsion unit 212 and the information acquisition unit 213, it may be configured to further include a control unit 211 and the power distribution unit 214. In FIG. 1, the control unit 211 and the power distribution unit 214 are included.

The propulsion unit 212 is a component that provides the propulsion force required to move along a predetermined or real-time controlled path after the manned unmanned submersible has been put into the water to perform the inspection of the outer wall of the ship or harbor. However, the detailed configuration may vary depending on the degree of freedom afforded by the system designer for moving the manned submersible.

The information acquisition unit 213 is an element for acquiring an image of the inspection object such as an outer wall of a ship or a port and the surroundings in which the inspection object is located, that is, an image and other environmental information about the inspection environment. The information obtained is transmitted to the external support means 220 through the cable and utilized for the control of operation of a manned unmanned submersible or the inspection of ship and port outer walls for the purpose of the present invention.

The control unit 211 is preferably designed to control the operation of the propulsion unit, the information acquisition unit and the power distribution unit by receiving the control signal calculated by the external support means. Here, the control unit may be selectively implemented in or outside the manned unmanned submersible. That is, when an external support means directly controls the propulsion unit, the information acquisition unit, and the power distribution unit of the manned submersible, the control unit does not need to be implemented in the unmanned submersible. In the case of not directly controlling both the unit, the information acquisition unit, and the power distribution unit, it is desirable to implement in the oilless unmanned submersible to selectively control some of the propulsion unit, the information acquisition unit, and the power distribution unit in the manned unmanned submersible. It is possible.

The external support means generates a predetermined signal to control the functions of the unmanned submersible, transmits it to the control unit of the unmanned submersible, and the control unit disassembles the signal received from the external support means and confirms that it is a predetermined signal. It can play a role in controlling the function of the part.

The power distribution unit 214 converts the power supplied through the cable from the external support means 220 to a voltage suitable for operating the propulsion unit 212 and the information acquisition unit 213 in the unmanned submersible 210, The driving unit 212 and the information acquisition unit 213 serves to help smoothly perform the operation.

On the other hand, the external support means 220 may be configured to include a path planning unit 221, error compensation unit 222, navigation unit 223, manual operation unit 224 and the power supply unit 225, FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the information recording unit 226 and the handling unit 227 may be further included.

The route planning unit 221 calculates an optimal movement route using kinematic information of the manned unmanned submersible, based on advance information on an inspection target of the inspection system and an inspection environment in which the inspection target is located. The unmanned submersible is configured to provide the calculated optimal travel path. At this time, it is necessary to select a minimum moving path for acquiring the entire image of the inspection object while ensuring that 50% of the acquired screens are overlapped to ensure the reliability of the acquired image information.

The error compensator 222 calculates an error between a normal traveling path and a path deviated by the disturbance when a disturbance that may affect the movement and operation of the manned unmanned submersible such as blue or algae occurs. Providing the propulsion unit 212 control signal related to the movement amount to compensate for the position error to the oilless unmanned submersible, it is possible to actively cope with the influence of the external environment not considered in the initial design. In this case, a general trajectory tracking feedback control structure capable of using both state feedback or output feedback is employed for error compensation of the oilless unmanned submersible.

The navigation unit 223 serves as a component for estimating the position, speed, and attitude of the dust-free unmanned submersible, and interoperates with the error compensation unit 222. In this case, in order to estimate the position, speed, and attitude of the unmanned submersible 210, a constant reference model is required. When the inertial navigation system is mounted in the floating unmanned submersible, the inertial navigation system is used as an internal reference model. Motion trajectory, speed and posture information can be obtained. On the other hand, when the inertial navigation system is not mounted and a sensor capable of replacing the inertial navigation system is not installed, the unmanned submersible 210 of the unmanned submersible 210 is referred to as a reference model using a mathematical model that can reflect the dynamic characteristics of the unmanned submersible 210. Trajectories, speeds, and attitudes can be estimated. In general, the position and velocity information of the fuselage which depends only on the internal reference model increases exponentially with the actual position and velocity. Therefore, the position, velocity, and attitude information estimated using the internal reference model is fed back to the position and velocity information obtained from other non-inertial navigation sensors (velograph, depth gauge, magnetic directionometer, etc.) and used as an observation process. This is input to a navigation filter (eg Kalman filter or H∞ filter) to compensate for errors in the estimate. That is, the navigation unit 223 of the external support means of the present invention is preferably implemented using the compensation filter having the feedback method to obtain the position, speed and attitude information of the oilless unmanned submersible.

When the manual operation unit 224 requires manual operation according to a need such as an excessively large error to be compensated for by disturbance or a need to inspect a specific part of the inspection object more precisely, As a component capable of performing a manual operation of a submerged unmanned submersible, the operation of the propulsion unit 212 and the information acquisition unit 213 of the submerged unmanned submersible is controlled.

As described above, the manual operation unit 224 moves the moving unmanned submersible 210 in an external support means when the position and speed of the unmanned submersible 210 do not follow the planned route in the route planning unit 221. Informing the operator of the need for manual operation and provides a means to control the unmanned submersible 210 by direct operator intervention. At this time, the magnitude of the disturbance as a reference for determining whether the path planning unit 221 greatly deviates from the planned path (for example, the strength of the algae or the height of the blue wave and the position error out of the path, etc.) The unmanned submersible 210 is preferably determined before the input, in consideration of various conditions of the inspection environment to be injected. In addition, the manual operation unit 224 provides a means for allowing direct control of the unmanned submersible 210 by the operator, ignoring the route planned by the route planning unit 221 in order to obtain more detailed information on a specific portion. It is preferable.

The external support means 220 may be configured to include an information recording unit 226, the information recording unit 226 is configured integrally within the external support means 220 or connected to the outside of the external support means 220. It can be configured as a state. For convenience, in FIG. 1, the information recording unit 226 is illustrated as being integrally formed with the external support means 220. The information recording unit 226 receives and records the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 213 of the unmanned submersible 210 through a cable. The information recording unit 226 may be configured of various kinds of memories, for example, a hard disk, a flash memory, and the like, and may be implemented to record and read information obtained from the information acquisition unit 213. .

In addition, the handling unit 227 is implemented to perform the function of injecting and recovering the unmanned submersible 210 below the water surface where the test object is located to perform the test.

The cable connects the unmanned submersible 210 with external support means 220, the passage of information transfer from the unmanned submersible 210 with the external support means 220 and from the external support means 220. It is used as a means for supplying power to the unmanned submersible 210, transmission of control signals, and the like.

Ship and harbor outer wall inspection system according to the present invention may further include an external navigation support means 230 in addition to the unmanned submersible 210 and the external support means 220, the external navigation support means 230 is LBL ( It includes an underwater position specifying unit 231 to determine the position of the unmanned submersible 210 using a positioning system such as a local base line system, the external navigation support means 230 is the unmanned submersible ( 210) It may not be implemented separately according to the internal configuration.

Figure 2 illustrates in more detail the configuration of the information acquisition unit implemented in the dust-free unmanned submersible in accordance with the present invention. The information acquisition unit and the external support means shown in FIG. 2 have the same configuration as the information acquisition unit 213 and the external support means 220 of FIG. 1, but are denoted by the numerals 310 and 320 for convenience of description, respectively. Let's do it.

The information acquisition unit 310 of FIG. 2 includes an image sensor 311 including a high resolution still image acquisition device and a moving image acquisition device capable of acquiring surrounding image information in real time, and a direction for measuring the headed submersible submersible. Azimuth sensor 312, Ultrasonic distance measuring sensor 313 for measuring the distance between the inspection target and the unmanned submersible submersible, Tilt measuring sensor 314 for measuring the attitude of the unmanned submersible submersible, currently It may be configured to include a water depth measurement sensor 315 for measuring the depth of the water is a submerged unmanned submersible, flow rate measuring sensor 316 for measuring the peripheral flow rate of the oilless unmanned submersible.

Based on the configuration, various information about the inspection target and the inspection environment acquired by the information acquisition unit 310 are transmitted to the external support means 320 through a cable, and the external support means 320 received the information. In the case of the image information about the inspection object obtained from the image sensor 311 is recorded as an information recording unit and utilized as the inspection of the outer wall, and other azimuth sensor 312, ultrasonic distance measuring sensor 313, tilt measurement sensor ( 314, the depth sensor 315, the flow rate sensor 316, and the like may be used to control the position, attitude, and movement path of the manned unmanned submersible.

In the foregoing description, although the ultrasonic distance measuring sensor 313 is presented for convenience of description, the distance measuring sensor used in the present invention is not limited to the ultrasonic distance measuring sensor, and the general knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention belongs. Includes any alternative technical means that are obvious to those who have.

Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a floating type unmanned submersible in accordance with the present invention. 3A, 3B and 3C show top, side and front views of a manned unmanned submersible, having a vertical propeller 470, a transverse propeller 450 and a horizontal propeller 440 as shown. Therefore, the user can move freely in a desired direction, and the camera can 410 is installed at the front to acquire image information.

The floating unmanned submersible receives power and various control signals by a tether 480 connected to an external support means. One example of the information sensor of the oilless unmanned submersible is a pressure sensor 460, which may serve to provide depth information of an inspection environment by measuring the water pressure outside the oilless unmanned submersible. In addition, when external navigation support means 230 such as LBL and SBL are provided, a pinger 490 serving as a signal transmission means may be provided.

3D illustrates one embodiment of a camera can used in the manned unmanned submersible.

The camera can 410 is configured to include a front camera 411, a laser unit 412, a side camera 413, and a servo motor 414 for operating the cameras. The camera can 410 is to protect the internal components from water, and designed to withstand the water pressure acting at a depth of two times or more of the expected input depth according to the depth of the manned unmanned submersible It is preferable. At this time, the viewing side surfaces of the front camera 411, the laser unit 412 and the side camera 413 should be made of a material that does not interfere with the field of view, such as transparent acrylic. The front camera 411 is a camera facing the direction of progress of the unmanned unmanned submersible, and is used for the purpose of acquiring visual information of a measurement target, which is a unique purpose of the unmanned unmanned submersible, and obtaining information required for moving the unmanned submersible submersible. do. On the other hand, the laser unit 412 is configured to irradiate a laser to an object that is located near the floating unmanned submersible, and together with the side camera 413, the relative distance and attitude between the object and the unmanned submersible submersible It is used to measure. The laser unit 412 and the side camera 413 may rotate about an axis extending in the longitudinal direction of the camera can in FIG. 3D by the operation of the servo motor 414, and thus are not limited to the range of the operation. On the other hand, while the moving unmanned submersible of the present invention moves, the image of the target vessel or the harbor outer wall is acquired using the side camera 413.

3E illustrates one embodiment of a pressure can used in the oilless unmanned submersible.

The pressure can 420 is configured to include an inclinometer 421, a system power supply 422, and a propeller driver 423. The pressure can 420 is also designed to protect internal components from water, and is designed to withstand more than twice the water pressure depending on the depth to which the manned unmanned submersible is introduced. Inclinometer 421 is for measuring the inclination of the oilless unmanned submersible, the pressure can of Figure 3e is provided with two inclinometers, to measure the driven angle and the lateral oscillation angle of the unmanned submersible 210. The system power source 422 converts power supplied from the outside into power required for each device, and the propeller driver 423 provides a motor control signal for driving the underwater motor.

According to the ship and harbor outer wall inspection system using the unmanned submersible submersible according to the present invention, since the inspection work can be continuously performed without interruption, there is an effect that can greatly shorten the time required for the entire inspection, It is possible to compensate for errors caused by changes in the environment of unmanned submersibles, so that it can be proactively coped with.

Claims (8)

A ship and harbor exterior wall inspection system comprising a manned unmanned submersible and an external support means cabled to said manned unmanned submersible, The external support means, Based on advance information on the inspection target of the inspection system and the inspection environment in which the inspection target is located, an optimum movement path is calculated using the kinematic information of the floating unmanned submersible, and the calculated optimal Route planning unit for providing a movement path of; A navigation unit for estimating the position, speed, and attitude of the manned unmanned submersible; A power supply unit for supplying power required for acquiring and moving various pieces of information from the inspection target and the inspection environment by the oilless unmanned submersible; An error compensator for supplying a control signal for compensating for the error by calculating a corresponding error when the disturbance such as a wave or a tidal current occurs and following the previously planned path; A manual operation unit for performing a manual operation of the oilless submersible when the manual operation is required, such as when the error for compensation is excessively large or when a specific part of the inspection object needs to be examined in more detail; And A ship and harbor outer wall inspection system using an unmanned submersible, characterized in that it comprises an information recording unit for recording the image obtained from the unmanned submersible and the information obtained from the sensors. According to claim 1, A ship and harbor outer wall inspection system using an unmanned submersible submersible further comprising external navigation support means configured to use three or more underwater acoustic distance measuring equipments to specify the location of the unmanned submersible submersible. According to claim 1, The manned unmanned submersible, A propulsion unit including one or more propellers to move in a desired direction by using power supplied from the external support means; And Vessel and harbor exterior wall inspection system using a manned unmanned submersible, characterized in that it comprises an information acquisition unit for obtaining various information from the inspection target and the inspection environment. The method of claim 3, wherein The information acquisition unit, An image sensor including a high resolution still image acquisition device and a moving image acquisition device capable of acquiring surrounding environment information in real time; And Ship and port outer wall inspection system using a drone submersible, characterized in that it comprises a distance measuring sensor for measuring the distance between the inspection target and the drone submersible. The method of claim 4, wherein The information obtained by the information acquisition unit is delivered in real time to the external support means, and the external support means receiving the information transmits a control command corresponding to the information to the scraped unmanned submersible. Vessel and port exterior wall inspection system using a submerged unmanned submersible. According to claim 1, The external support means, Ship and harbor outer wall inspection system using a manned unmanned submersible further comprises a handling unit for performing the function of injecting and withdrawing the submerged unmanned submersible below the water surface to be inspected to perform the inspection. The method of claim 3, wherein The manned unmanned submersible, A power distribution unit for converting the power supplied through the cable from the external support means into a voltage suitable for operating the propulsion unit and the information acquisition unit in the dust-free unmanned submersible, so as to facilitate the operation of the propulsion unit and the information acquisition unit; And And a control unit for controlling the operation of the propulsion unit, the power distribution unit, and the information acquisition unit according to a command related to the operation of the oilless submersible submersible from the external support means. And harbor exterior wall inspection systems. The method of claim 4, wherein The information acquisition unit, A flow rate measuring sensor for measuring a peripheral flow rate of the floating unmanned submersible; A tilt sensor for measuring the posture of the unmanned submersible submersible; An azimuth sensor for measuring an azimuth headed by the floating unmanned submersible; And Vessel and harbor exterior wall inspection system using a drought-free submersible further characterized in that it further comprises a depth measuring sensor for measuring the depth of the current unmanned unmanned submersible.

Images