EP0515248B1 - Towing and handling device of submarine bodies - Google Patents

Description

The invention relates to a device for towing and handling heavy or semi-heavy submarine equipment (class 1 to 30 T), for example such as sonars used for the detection of submarines.

To launch, fish, tow and store on board sonars or more generally underwater equipment pulled by a cable, there are devices provided at the rear of vessels which use a winch and a gantry fitted with a pulley for guiding the cable attaching to the underwater equipment. Tilting gantries are known which comprise two arms supporting a cross beam on which a carriage-chassis-pulley assembly translates to ensure by a cutting movement the correct winding of the cable on the winch. The launching or recovery of the underwater equipment is effected by tilting the gantry, and the underwater equipment then describes a circular trajectory of large radius around the tilting axis, which requires a significant installation height, not available between the decks of a ship. Other devices are known in which the pulley guide pulley, placed directly above the underwater equipment, allows, during handling operations, the lifting of the underwater equipment by simple towing of the attachment cable. This permanent arrangement of the pulley perpendicular to the towed body occupies a total height greater than that available between the intermediate decks of a ship and obliges to install the device on the upper deck of the building, thus prohibiting its use as a deck. flight

patent FR-A-2 405 181 describes an operating device for submerged body, without fixed storage winch and whose chassis, deformable with articulated elements, comprises a lifting member (arm or gantry) articulated to a support and actuated by a cylinder, frame located upstream of the cable winding pulley. During a towing or handling operation, the body follows a curvilinear trajectory relative to the frame of reference constituted by the ship; it is capable of changing from a horizontal position to a vertical position, occupying intermediate positions. This results in a potential weakening of the object handled and a considerable bulk of the device, due to the pulley separating the defenses of the lifting member.

The object of the present invention is to propose a device for towing and handling underwater equipment, of reduced overall height, which can be installed between two decks of a ship and therefore making it possible to keep the flight deck. .

The object is achieved by a device for towing and handling underwater equipment, of the type comprising a fixed storage and towing winch, a gantry, a pulley for guiding the cable for attaching to the underwater equipment and a deformable chassis with articulated elements, characterized in that this chassis is located between the pulley and the equipment submarine, and in that it is provided with defenses against which the underwater equipment is blocked under the effect of the traction of the attachment cable, the deformation of the deformable chassis with articulated elements making it possible to position the underwater equipment directly above the pulley, or juxtaposing the underwater equipment on the side opposite the winch.

According to one embodiment of the invention, the deformable chassis with articulated elements may comprise a structure forming a parallelogram maintaining the horizontal defenses whatever the position of the chassis. The gantry supporting the chassis can also be mounted mobile on guide rails.

The underwater equipment towing and handling device, with reduced overall height, can be installed between the two decks of a ship.

• La figure 1 est une vue schématique partielle de l'arrière d'un bâtiment équipé d'un dispositif conforme au mode de réalisation décrit et faisant apparaître le dispositif en position de poste à la mer,
• La figure 2 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, montrant le dispositif en position sortie,
• La figure 3 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, montrant le dispositif en position de mise à l'eau ou reprise,
• La figure 4 est une vue analogue à la figure 1, montrant le dispositif en position de remorquage,
• La figure 5 est une vue de dessus du dispositif,
• La figure 6 est une section du châssis selon les repères A-A de la figure 1,
• La figure 7 est une vue détaillée du châssis déformable à éléments articulés.

Other characteristics and advantages of the invention will appear on reading the following description of an embodiment, given by way of example. Reference will be made to the appended drawings in which:

• FIG. 1 is a partial schematic view of the rear of a building equipped with a device in accordance with the embodiment described and showing the device in position of position at sea,
• FIG. 2 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the device in the extended position,
• FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the device in the launching or recovery position,
• FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 1, showing the device in the towing position,
• FIG. 5 is a top view of the device,
• FIG. 6 is a section of the chassis according to the references AA of FIG. 1,
• Figure 7 is a detailed view of the deformable frame with articulated elements.

In FIG. 1, the winch 1 fixed on the lower deck 7 ensures the storage of the attachment cable 12, the recovery of the towing forces and can be immobilized in rotation by a band brake known in itself and not shown. The lifting of the underwater equipment is ensured by a gantry 13, comprising a cross beam 3, half movable thanks to a set of rollers 14 circulating on guide rails 8 parallel and arranged laterally on the plungers of the ship. The gantry 13 is driven by a push chain, not shown, which is applied to the rollers 14.

The cross beam 3 of the gantry 13 serves as an axis of rotation for a pulley 5 for guiding the attachment cable 12 to the underwater equipment 16. The pulley 5 is mounted on the periphery of a carriage 19 on which s 'articulate two connecting rods 10 and two connecting rods 11 as shown in detail in top view in Figure 5, in side view in Figure 7, and in the section of Figure 6. Each connecting rod 10 is articulated on each side face of the carriage 19 at the level of the mark {c} in FIG. 7. The carriage 19 is mounted movable along the beam 3 by virtue of a set of rollers 21 applying to each face of the beam 3. Each connecting rod 11, as shown in FIG. 7, pivots on one of the crowns 22 mounted on the carriage 19 on either side of the pulley 5. The pulley 5 rotates on a crown 23 mounted on the carriage 19 and is located thus secured to the lateral displacement or cutting of the carriage 19 along the cross-member 3 under the action of a device po uvant to use a gearmotor 20, visible in FIG. 5, so as to ensure a regular winding of the cable 12 on the winch drum 1. The submarine equipment 16 of oblong shape is applied under defenses 9 fixed by hand and the other on the lower part of an element 4 of the deformable chassis 2. The element 4 of the chassis 2 has at its upper part a groove for guiding the attachment cable 12. The segment [ab] defined by the intersections in the plane of FIG. 7 at the level of element 4, of the axis around which the two connecting rods 11 are articulated and of the axis around which the two connecting rods 10 are articulated, constitutes one of the two short sides of a deformable structure forming parallelogram [abcd]. The segment [cd] is defined by the intersection of the axis of symmetry of the beam 3 with the plane of figure 7 in {d} and the reference frame {c} previously defined. This parallelogram structure [abcd] makes it possible to maintain the defenses 9 horizontal during the deformation of the chassis under the action of two jacks 17 located on either side of the plane of symmetry of the carriage 19. These two jacks 17 are articulated in { e} and {f} respectively on the connecting rod 11 and on an arm 18 integral with the carriage 19. A cradle 6 resting on the lower deck 7 makes it possible to store the underwater equipment 16, kept in storage by the actuated parallelogram structure by the two jacks 17. An independent power station, not shown, comprises the auxiliary hydraulic and electrical generation of the winch 1 and the jacks 17 for operating the chassis. A device for controlling the rotation of the winch 1, known in itself, keeps the cable 12 taut during handling operations, to avoid jolts due to swell.

The device can be used according to the following sequence of operations:
In Figure 1 we see the underwater equipment 16 rest on a fixed cradle 6 in the position of sea position or storage. The launching of the underwater equipment 16 is carried out initially by a winching of the cable 12 for attachment to the underwater equipment to block the latter against the defenses 9 of the deformable chassis 2 The underwater equipment is subjected simultaneously to the tensile forces of the tether cable but also to the reaction of the defenses 9 on the underwater equipment 16. This combined mechanical action allows the positioning of the underwater equipment in front of the guide pulley 5 and therefore reduces the overall height of the device.
A pusher chain then moves the gantry 13 and the underwater equipment 16 associated with it towards the rear of the vessel. This chain immobilizes the gantry when the latter reaches the rear end of the guide rails 8, as shown in FIG. 2. This locked position of outlet authorizes the subsequent deformation of the chassis 2 around the beam 3 of the gantry 13 under the action of the jacks 17. The action of these jacks 17 causes the chassis 2 to deform from the standby position to the setting position. the water represented in FIG. 3. During the deformation of the chassis 2, the underwater equipment 16 remains horizontally blocked under the defenses 9 of the element 4 of the chassis 2, thanks to the structure by forming a parallelogram of the elements of this frame.
Once the submarine equipment 16 is submerged, the cable 12 is then unwound, and after having let about ten meters slip, the actuators 17 are actuated to cause the chassis 2 to deform towards a position which releases, during the 'towing operation, the cable 12 of the groove of the element 4, as shown in Figure 4.

To carry out the recovery of the underwater equipment, the same series of operations is carried out in reverse order. The towed body is brought back to a distance of about ten meters, the chassis is deformed from the towing position of FIG. 4 to the recovery position of FIG. 3. The cable 12 is then housed in the guide groove of the element 4 of the chassis 2. The underwater equipment is then brought back under the defenses 9 of the element 4 of the chassis 2, and the cable 12 is stretched so as to block under the defenses 9 underwater equipment. This avoids any dangerous pendulum movement for the underwater equipment 16. Then a second deformation of the chassis 2 is carried to return the underwater equipment from the position of FIG. 3 to the position of FIG. 1 passing through the intermediate waiting position in Figure 2.

Claims (4)

1. Device for towing and handling submarine equipment, comprising a fixed storage and towing winch (1), a gantry (13), a guide pulley (5) for the attachment cable (12) for the submarine equipment (16) and a chassis whose shape can be altered (2) with articulated elements, characterised by the fact that this chassis (2) is located between the pulley (5) and the submarine equipment (16), and that it is fitted with guards (9) against which the submarine equipment (16) is locked by the traction of the attachment cable (12), the changing shape of the chassis allowing the submarine equipment (16) to be positioned perpendicular to the pulley (5) or to juxtapose the submarine equipment (16) to the pulley on the opposite side to the winch (1).
2. Device in accordance with claim 1, characterised by the fact that the chassis whose shape can be altered (2) with articulated elements comprises a structure forming a parallelogram maintaining the guards (9) horizontal whatever the position of the chassis(2).
3. A device in accordance with either of claims 1 or 2 characterised by the fact that the gantry (13) supporting the chassis (2) is mounted movable on guide rails (8).
4. A device in accordance with any of claims 1 to 3 characterised by the fact that the device is installed between two decks of a ship.

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